


Agent's Daughter

by NimrodelOfLothlorien



Category: Avengers, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, comics - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, OC, Other, orgin story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:04:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 41,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimrodelOfLothlorien/pseuds/NimrodelOfLothlorien
Summary: Marian Coulson had been retired for a year when Loki comes seeking to conquer the Earth. For unknown reasons Director Fury pulls her back in. Soon Loki takes notice of her 'uniqueness' and slowly begins to open her eyes to what has been hidden from her. All he asks is that she gives him her loyalty and he will give her his.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun had just peaked over the horizon when Steve Rogers and Phil Coulson boarded the Quinjet to go to the base. It was a relatively quiet flight, with the Captain reading the file, and Coulson being too bashful to talk to the Captain. After all Rogers was his childhood hero. The silence was broken by the sudden buzzing of Coulson's phone, which he quickly answered after checking who was calling.

"Hello Director." Coulson answered the phone, and listened intently as Director Fury spoke to him, "Are you sure, Sir?" He paused momentarily. "Yes Sir." The call ended and he looked to Steve with a sigh. "I hope you don't mind taking a short detour." He said shyly under his breath.

"Not at all." Steve shook his head. Coulson gave a command to the pilot through his headset and moments later the aircraft veered to the side, changing its course towards the Northeast. "Where are we going, if you don't mind me asking?"

"New Hampshire. Director Fury called in a retired SHIELD agent to assist in this situation, but she did protest quite a bit.

"Did she refuse?"

"Director Fury believes that she put her phone in a blender." Coulson replied half a smile on his lips, "She has issues with authority."

"Why is an agent with issues with authority so important." Steve questioned. From what he'd seen so far, SHIELD had many able bodied men and women working for them. All of whom did not have issues authority. What could be so important about one girl?

"She was one of our best agents. Trained from childhood with a number of successful missions." Coulson sat down, "Though she retired so she could pursue other things."

"What other things."

"Day drinking. Or at least that's what she last said she was doing." Coulson furrowed his brow and shrugged his shoulder, "Though admittedly she did not have the best of childhoods."

"Is a day drinker really what we need right now?"

"I mean, we got Mr. Stark and she's more sober and competent than he is." The aircraft began to descend through the clouds, lowering into a sea of trees. Before Steve could even question it though, they had landed in a field, empty of everything but a large house surrounded by a brick and wrought iron fence. The helicarrier shuddered to a halt and the engines powered down with a soft wine Coulson signaled for Steve to stay put as he walked down the ramp.

Agent Coulson strode to the gate with an air of confidence about him. Deciding to stay put, though no orders were given to him, Rogers chose to observe his surroundings. The house was an old Victorian house, with multiple levels and what he would interpret as a tower. Three large oak trees grew in the corners of the well manicured yard, while a well maintained garden lay in front of the building's porch. It seemed to be newly refurbished, the porch burned a bright white as did the details of the buildings. The whole of the building was painted a pale yellow making it stand out in the green field. Spying up to the high tower he saw movement in the windows, focusing in he saw that it was a young woman looking down on Coulson. The agent stopped and looked up to the woman, before Coulson's gaze could reach her the woman had moved away. So the man marched on straight onto the porch, and through the door.

* * *

"Agent!" Coulson called out the air in the house smelled thickly of fresh paint, "Marian! Where are you?"

"I am not an agent anymore, agent." swing himself around to face the woman whom had come down the stairs silently. There was a book in her hands and paint on her fingers, " And I'm your daughter so can't you Just call me Marian."

"You are an agent, Director Fury himself has called you in." He looked to the back of the house and saw that she had been remodeling the house. There was plastic on the floor, as well as plaster in a room that was further off.

"Oh yes I got the call, I actually didn't think that big boss man actually remembered me."

"He's given specific orders to have you trained since you were a child, I feel like he would remember you quite well." Coulson followed her through the house to the kitchen where the potent smell of coffee permeated the house. "Where is your phone?"

"I used it to create a new form of golf, where the phone was the ball and the weed wacker the putter. So half of it is in my garbage, the other half is somewhere out beyond the fence. Why?" She had taken large travel mug, and the pot of coffee she had brewed pouring the dark liquid into the empty container. From the refrigerator she pulled out a large bottle of creamer, then lightened the dark coffee with the cream.

"Just curious." There was a large duffle bag set on the floor near the fridge. After having a moment to himself he took the cat that had jumped up on the counter near him, and slid the creature into the crate. "It is nice to see that you have decided to come."

"I felt that I didn't have a choice, besides, I live here so what kind of idiot would I be to not help save it?" She reasoned, "But this is not me following the orders of a man who took my childhood away, so...yeah."

"Why did you destroy your phone if you were going to come along?"

"Because I knew Fury would think that meant no, and that he would send daddy dearest to convince me."

"You wanted to see me?"

"I know you are Fury's right hand man, you have all the information on this case and could give me a heads up." All through the sentence she had been taking gulps of her coffee, moving about the house collecting things that she could need. Deodorant, toothbrush and paste, dental floss, all the things the she would need all stuffed in a bag, "So are you just going to follow me around, or are you going to give me the details of this case?"

"There is a file for you in our ride to the base."

"What's base this time?"

"A helicarrier in the Atlantic Ocean."

With a large duffle bag she strode out the front door , holding it open to allow Coulson out before she locked the door behind them. Two deadbolts clicked in the solid wooden door. Then they walked through the gate, at which Marian removed a brick to reveal a panel an pressing a few buttons activated an electric field around the house.

"Secure enough?"

"Never secure enough, every system can be hacked."

"I see that you have not lost your edge." Without an answer Marian walked away to the Quinjet, and up it's ramp. There she saw a familiar face, one that halfway convinced her that this was not real. So she stopped and pointed, dropping her duffle bag to the ground.

"America…." her voice wobbly and confused, Coulson pushed his way past her telling her that it was rude to point. "Has SHIELD been dabbling in cloning, and if so where did they get Captain America's DNA?"

"I'm not a clone." the muscular man laughed offering his hand to shake, there was a look of recognition in his eyes for a moment but it faded as soon as Marian took the man's hand and shook it silver eyes still wide, "I'm Steve Rogers."

"I don't understand, what? Are you, you?"

"Yes." her father said to her slamming a file to her chest, "This is the real Captain America. We found him in the ice about a week after you left. Everything will be in the report."

"It is an honor to meet you sir. Im Marian Coulson." awkwardly spoke then securing herself in a seat. All the while thinking about what this could be, and how Captain America could be here. Coulson had said that they had found him frozen in ice. Though she decided to put this from her mind an focus on the file that she had been provided with. Putting in earbuds pretending to listen to music while really listening to her surroundings, the sound of the engines being engaged, the small groan of the ship as they lifted off, and the nonsensical chattering of the pilots.

"So she was one of your top agents?" Rogers stated not looking at her, "She doesn't look like much."

"That was the point originally." Coulson stated, "She was trained from a young age, and having a young agent can be of a great advantage. And having an SHIELD agent as a father was a way to make this training more simple."

"She said her last name was Coulson, so you're her father or is that a common surname nowadays."

"Yes." Coulson stated while sitting down as the Quinjet took off, Rogers began to read the file that he was supplied with before a question came to mind.

"It can't be protocol to have a relative under your command."

"It's not, but I've never been soft on her." The listening Marian agreed with this as she listed, he had never been easy on her, and he had never been much of a father to her. There were moments of paternal love, but they rarely lasted a day.

* * *

An hour had passed since Marian had left her holmley little place, she had preoccupied herself by listening to her music. The vibrations of the quinjet lulling her into a trance, her silver eyes staring off into oblivion thinking about her last mission. She kept searching for the memories that had been lost to her, but they would not come to her now.

"The pilot just informed me that we're about 20 minutes out from the base." Coulson informed, while Rogers was still turning the pages of the file. Pausing on a page, reading about Dr. Bruce Banner, a man who thought that he could replicate the serum that was used to make him a super soldier.

"So this Dr. Banner, he was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?"

"A lot of people were, you were the world's first superhero, everybody wanted a shot at the same fame you acquired for yourself. Dr. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula." Over her music Marian found herself listening to the men, the bass of the music concealing the quieter parts of their speech.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?"

"Not so much. When he's not that thing though, the guy is on par with the likes of Stephen Hawking." he said in an admiring tone before he realized that Rogers did not get the reference then tried to elaborate, "He's very smart. I gotta say it's an honor to meet you officially. I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping. I mean, I was… I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know it's really, it's just a. . . just a huge honor to have you on board."

The way her father stumbled through his words was rather amusing to Marian who found herself having to muster the effort to keep herself from laughing at his fanboy-like attitude. After all Captain America was his hero, so she could not blame him for being excited while meeting his hero.

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job." Steve replied bashfully.

"Oh, you are." Coulson reassured him, "Absolutely. We've made some modifications to the uniform; I had a little design input." he boasted.

"The uniform?" Steve questioned, "Aren't the stars and stripes a little. . . old fashioned?"

"With everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old fashioned." The Helicarrier came into sight, and not wishing to be anymore awkward Coulson walked away to his daughter.

"What are you listening to?"

"Elton John." she said, removing her earbuds sitting straighter.

"I didn't know you like Elton John."

"I also like Billy Joel."

"I didn't know that either."

"For a spy you're not the observant." half joking half serious she said this, but her father took it too seriously and frowned. It was a great convenience that the Quinjet landed and the ramp fell open. Quickly grabbing her duffel bag, then dashing away going to her old quarters that she expected to be reserved just for her.


	2. Chapter 2

As Marian had predicted, her old room had been reserved for her. The old uniform that she had worn was splayed out onto the bed. But upon further inspection she saw that it was not exactly the same, as it had a few modifications to it. No longer was it the cat suit made of a strange leather that fitted her too tightly, making it difficult for her to move. Now it, though it was still fitted, it was made of a breathable fabric that would stretch to her every athletic movement. To protect her arms, as those were not covered by the uniform's fabric, there were metal coverings for her arms, made of interlocking plates that moved like the scales of a snake. The rest was much the same, except for the color of her boots that were now a pale silver.

After slipping into her uniform, with a highly restraining sports bra,she armed herself, a knife in her left boot, a gun strapped to the same leg. Also a gun that was under her right arm, while amo was in a case beneath her left arm. Then she took the earpiece that was left for her on the small bedside table, finding that it had been perfectly fitted to her ear.

She laid on the bed and flipped open the file that had been left for her, a large portion of the file was almost complete nonsense to her. Strings of numbers, and equations she was not taught in her basic math classes. These were science reports written out for those who would know what to do with the information. But she had no use for the science, she was here to fight, to be a weapon. SHIELD, had brought her in for that very reason. So why were they making it so hard for to discern her target. They should have distilled the file to the very basics of her mission.

Her silver eyes ran over the words of the document till she found something halfway useful to her. The known players in the game were so far were Loki and those whom he had manipulated in some unknown manner, were the opposing team. On their team, so far, there was SHIELD, the good old Captain, and Bruce Banner. Though Dr. Banner was only there to help find the Tesseract, not to fight, if he was to fight no one would win.

It was not known if Loki's brother, Thor, had anything to do with the incident. Marian was hoping that he did not fighting a man who had the power of a god would not be an easy task to begin with. But having to fight two of them would be impossible. Though on the bright side of this incident she may be able to meet an alien.

The Tesseract, which had been stolen by Loki, was a source of unlimited power that SHIELD's scientists had been researching. This had been considered an act of war, and humans have had a long history of violence amongst each other. For rather odd reasons as well,

_'You don't screw the opposite gender like I do, you're dead. Your ancestors did not migrate to Northern Europe so you lost the melonen in your skin and therefore don't look like me. You don't worship the right god. Well sorry you're dead. Billions of dead mother fuckers.'_  Marian thought, but she had to give credit when faced with this common threat all of the governments were quick to forget any quarrel. Marian halfway believed that it was just so they could go back to fighting each other. But for now, the unity was nice even thought it was under dire circumstances.

Their little visitor from another world had taken a little something more than just the Tesseract. Well a two little someones, the first was Dr. Erik Selvig. An expert scientist who had been studying the Tesseract, he would be rather valuable to Loki should he wish to find a meaningful use for the Tesseract. The other was Clint Barton, whom Marian considered herself somewhat close to. Knowing him, Marian could not see how Loki was able to chain him. She wished to know how he was able gain control of either of these men, in the file it just said that it was a tap of his scepter to the men's chests. Then their eyes darkened, the men became like clay in Loki's hands so that they may be molded to his purpose.

Beep. Beep.

The earpiece sounded deeply into Marian's ear, she reached to her ear and pressed the button to answer whomever was calling her.

"This is Agent Marian."

"Agent Marian, welcome back to the job." Marina, an old friend and rival of Marian sounded. The rivalry was nothing but jovial, and based on the similarity of their names.

"Well, I don't think that I am going to be on the job for long. Kinda don't want to be here at all, but for humanity I guess I don't mind it."

"Well that's good, you ready to go into action?" Pushing her Gandalf off of her as she stood up to check that all of her weapons were there by tapping them with her finger. Finding herself to be good she answered back,

"Yeah. Why, what's happened?'

"We've found Loki."

"I will be in the hanger in five minutes. Who else is going?"

"Captain America, and Romanoff, as well as a pilot."

"That's it?"

"You'll have back up as soon as we can manage." Marina sounded rushed as she said these last words then hung up. She opened the doors then marched out of the room. Going down the metals halls, through the many twists and turns down to the hanger. All the while twisting her hair into a bun that rested on the nape of her neck.

In the hanger, as Marina had said, there were Romanoff and Rogers. All ready to go, Rogers was decked out in a redesigned uniform that her father had some part in playing. Greeting each other with dutiful nods of their heads. The ramp to the Quinjet eased itself closed as they made their way inside. Marian was quick to sit down in one of the seats lining either side of the craft.

"So, Captain, where are we off to?" she questioned, her splayed open for her own comfort while also establishing dominance over the room.

"Stuttgart, Germany."

"I spent time there as a child, with my dad, but I haven't been there in a while."

"Well last time I was in Germany things really didn't go in my favor." The doors of the Helicarrier opened before them.

"I'm sure that was just bad luck," she joked the Quinjet began to move forward, out and away from the Helicarrier. Marian continued to assure, as they went towards the European continent, "You'll do fine."

* * *

The soft hum of the Quinjet was all that could be heard as they flew to Berlin. Marian's nerves were on edge, she had not been in combat for a prolonged time. She was worried about how she would hold up should conflict arise. Twisting her arm about, she observed the metal plates as they locked together then slid away from each other with ease.

"I've got visual." Romanoff made known as the pilot was pulling over the area. "Cap, you might want to get down there." While Rogers was readying his shield onto his arm, Marian had taken a pad to pull up the visual. Standing before a crowd in a horned helmet, was Loki. All of the people before him were bowing to him while a cheshire smile was painted on his face. Then one elderly man stood up before him, Loki raised his spear making to execute the man. Before the man was to be murdered Rogers opened the ramp to the Quinjet, and jumped down. Landing directly in front of the man blocking a bolt of energy with his shield. The bolt was deflected back into Loki and he dropped to the ground, but rose to his feet quickly, and with anger.

The craft hovered above the crowd, and Marian knew that she could jump down without breaking any bones. As she made to do so, she found that the ramp had been bolted.

"You're not fighting this one, Loki is mostly on par with his brother. We can't take the risk of losing one of our best."

"I really do appreciate what you are trying to do, but I did not come here to sit on my ass." yanking off the control panel to the door to rewire the controls so that she could open the ramp.

"Would you rather be off in the wilderness not knowing what's going on. Here you have a front row seat." While Marian worked on opening the door Romanoff got audio from what was happening down below.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Steve informed the horn clad man.

"The soldier. A man out of time." Loki spoke back to him, in a sly manner.

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Romanoff aimed the Quinjet machine gun at Loki and spoked through the speaker,

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Marian peered over to the pad that she had set down on one of the seats. On the screen she could see Loki gaze at the sceptre in his hand as half a smile came to his face. Quickly he pointed the tip of his sceptre towards the ship and fired, swinging out of the way they dodged it. This motions trew Marian about as she was no secured to anything that would have held her still. After hitting the left side of her head and falling into the floor she pushed herself up, continuing her work on the controls. Only occasionally looking at the pad to see what was going on. The Captain had taken on the strange man, but it was clear that the super-soldier was losing this fight.

"Since when do Quinjets have fucking child safety locks?" Natasha did not answer the question and focused on the fight that was on hand, while Marian tired to bypass the locked door.

"The guy's all over the place." The former Russian complained lightly as she tried to get Loki in her sights, but failed. The sound of wires popping, and popping drew Romanoff's attention to Marian who was still tinkering with the wires, "What are you doing?"

"I-" unable to explain herself beyond that because over the PA system AC/DC's 'Shoot to Thrill' began to play. Romanoff gave her a sharp look making Marian life up her hands and say, "That wasn't me."

"Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?" It was a familiar voice to Marian and Romanoff, the famous man in the metal suit came quickly to assist Rogers. Seeing that Rogers would be okay she gave up on unlocking the doors, she chose to sit and watch the fight from the pad. By the end of it Loki had been blasted onto his back, almost every weapon that Stark possessed was aimed at Loki.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Loki's scepter was quite a distance away from him, so he outstretched his hands, making his helmet and exterior armor disappear.

"Bring er down," the pilot complied to Marian's orders, "And take the child safety lock off of this door." The ramp dropped as soon as they touched ground, letting Marian slip out of the craft. Then noticing the consternation that all of the people were in she began to instruct them to disperse and go about their business, first in German then in English. Marian knew that if you spoke English and at least one other European language you could get around Germany well enough. Since they were in Germany almost every person knew German, and they were required by law in school to be taught English. Many of the people left while others were simply stood across the street.

All the while the others were gathering up Loki. Rogers had taken him up by the shoulders an pushed him forward while Tony kept his weapons upon Loki. Waiting on the ramp for the others to clean up and go, expecting others to clean up this mess, Marian noticed that Tony Stark had been staring at her.

"I know you!" the mask retracted itself and he pointed at her while calling out loudly. As Rogers came through Stark followed close behind, all the while staring at her. Ignoring the billionaire Marian took to securing Loki on the craft, they had no bindings that could secure him an he seemed to surrender. So she pushed him down into one of the seats, strapping him in. Stark seemed to not be the only one who had taken an interest in her as Loki leaned close to her as she bent over to work the straps of the seat. Stark then persisted, "I said that I know you."

"That you did and yes you do." Marian pushed Loki back so that he could no longer lean into her by pushing back on his chest with the tips of her fingers. "I was your assistant, then Agent Romanoff took over. Of course I was wearing a platinum blonde wig."

"Thats right, Elli, no Emily, not that either. It was Elise."

"Yes Elise Johnson. But the wig was not the only fake thing about me."

"Fake name?" an eyebrow raised, "So what is your real name."

"Agent Coulson." Romanoff moved by holding Loki's scepter placing in up the front of the Quinjet then began flicking random buttons.

"No no no, there is already an Agent Coulson and trust me he is not as pretty as you are."

"He's my father." Sitting opposite to Loki and pulling the straps about her.

"You look nothing like him. Guess that for the better though, be a bit terrifying to see Agent in that uniform of yours." The Quinjet began to take off with the ramp barely being closed, a very unexpected move that caused Stark and Rogers to brace themselves against the roof of the craft. Stark then looked to her, "Don't tell Agent that I called him by his real name."

* * *

After they had left Germany they swung back west to the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately there was a thunderstorm gathering the way they had to go. It was bound to make the flight rough, and was just another thing that Marian had no patience for. But she supposed that she could watch the storm as it seemed to her the only purpose that she had there was to watch.

'Front row seat my ass.' She thought, glaring towards Natasha. If she had wanted to sit back and watch she could have stayed at her house. Hushed whispers from Rogers and Stark drew her attention.

"I don't like it." Rogers said,

"What?" Tony looked to the silent Loki then back to Rogers with a raised eyebrow, "Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

"I don't remember it being ever that easy. This guy packs a wallop." Marian laughed internally at the word wallop, it sounded like something a grandfather would say.

"Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow." Tony looked Steve up and down, "What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?" Steve said in confusion

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." he had been agitated by Tony's jest

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." Marian's eyes snapped to Stark, what he said about Fury was true. Lightning struck near the Quinjet causing it to shake violently, it would have thrown Marian from her seat if she had not taken the time to strap herself to the seat.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha asked looking up at the sky, Loki was also looking at the sky with fear.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Steve taunted Loki,

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." the lightning boomed once more, something struck the Quinjet causing a loud thud. Being startled from all of this Marian unbuckled herself to rush to the front of the craft.

Stark, in all of his idiocy, decided to drop the ramp and see what was going on outside. The wind rushed through the hollow spaces, Marian had to squint due to the strength of the wind. Holding onto a beam in the ceiling she made her way to the ramp.

"What are you doing!" Rogers shouted above the wind, grasping onto Marian's forearm. With a loud thud a flying, hammer wielding, man landed on the ramp. The man matched the description of Thor, and Loki's look of terror confirmed the identity of this man. In an instant move Stark raided his hand ready to fire but was struck by the hammer in the man's hand, causing Stark to fly back and take out Marian and Rogers. Then the man took Loki by the collar, pulling him up and breaking the restraints of the chair. Jumping from the ramp and away with Loki in tow.

"Now there's that guy." Tony grumbled, as they all scrambled to their feet.

"Another Asgardian?" Marian questioned.

"Think the guy's a friendly?" The Captain questioned further.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost." Tony said then promptly turned away to chase after the Asgardian.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve protested his actions, to which Tony turned around slightly while still walking.

"I have a plan. Attack." as he jumped out of the Quinjet Steve grabbed a parachute and then tossed one to Marian who promptly strapped it onto herself.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap, Coulson." Natasha advised

"I don't see how I can." Rogers responded,

"These guys come from legends, they're basically gods." she warned,

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

"Marian!" Natasha protested loudly after Rogers jumped out.

"I didn't come to sit on the side lines Nat." then she jumped.

* * *

Falling down to the ground Marian could see a fight taking place between Stark and the man she assumed was Thor, and on a large rock formation she saw Loki just watching. Pulling the line on her parachute she felt the slight yank as it spread open. Together Rogers and Marian touched the ground.

"Go find Loki and get him secure, I am going to handle this." he ran off towards the dueling pair, leaving her to climb up the rocky formation to Loki. Doing so quickly, by jumping and running over rock. The flexible metal coverings were excellent for this sort of work as it o'ered part of her palm letting her grab onto rocks pulling her along. When Marian reached the top she found Loki sitting on a rock observing the fight down below. Taking the pistol from the sling under her arm, she became stunned as Loki addressed

"Marian there is no need for that."

"I didn't think that we were on a first name basis." her voice was as bitter as winter, and her gun was aimed at him.

"But I have heard so much about you, in fact I know you better than you know yourself." Marian squinted her silver eyes at him, "Do you not wish to know what I know?"

"Keep it to yourself." she had spent less than two minutes speaking to him and was ready to never exchange words with him again.

"Barton knew plenty of you as well." he said slowly, this was something that would be known to almost everyone as Barton was one of her primary teachers when she was younger.

"And I knew plenty of him." she with a strong tone.

"Hey! That's enough!" The Captain's voice came up from the ground. Marian listened closely trying to hear what was going on. She heard the loud banging of metal on metal, and crashing sounds,

"YOU WANT ME TO PUT THE HAMMER DOWN!" she saw Thor jump high in the air with his hammer raised high and, she looked away from Loki; she saw Thor's hammer crash into the Captain's shield.

A sharp ringing sound ripped through the air, an implosion came from the shield throwing Thor back and snapping a thousand trees like toothpicks. It reached up towards where Loki and Marian were. This shock wave did little to Loki, but to Marian it did more than a little. Slamming into her gut bringing her down to her knees, if not for the metal braces on her arms her flesh would have been shredded. Not wishing to show weakness she jumped to her feet taking her gun back into her hands.

Keeping Loki in her sights Marian eased over to the edge to look over and see what was happening. The three men had seemed to come to a truce of sorts, unfortunately at the price of a few thousand trees. With a viper like voice Loki spoke,

"Well, this had turned into a very interesting day. Do you not agree Marian?"


	3. Chapter 3

While on the Quinjet, Marian could sense the tension between all of the men. It made her uncomfortable, and the stances of the men were not helping. All but Loki were standing, trying to make themselves larger, though that was subconscious it could still be helped with a bit of effort. Their shoulders moved back, their legs in a wider stance, and their chests puffed up.

"Can all of you, or at least two sit down. You are making me uncomfortable." Marian announced, as she never was one to keep quiet about her discomfort. The Captain sat down without a single complaint, as he did not want to make a lady uncomfortable if he could help it. While there was a standoff between Stark and Thor, as they stared deeply into each other's eyes for about ten seconds before Marian scolding them brought their eyes to her, "Okay you two. Either kiss or sit down."

"Pardon, my lady?"

"I have given two options, both of you sit down. Or you two kiss."

"I don't what to do either of those things."

"Sorry Maxwell, those are the only two choices." Tony, of course got a chuckle at her reference to the Beatles song sat down in the seat right next to her. Slinging one of his metal clad arms around her, then jostling her about. With Tony sitting down Thor did so as well, taking his place one seat away from Loki.

"So, kid, you like the Beatles?" he plopped down, "You know you look really familiar."

"Beatles?" Rogers breathed the name in a questioning manner, Thor as well as seemed confused by the name of the famous bands.

"Someone will explain later" the woman informed the Captain. "Yes I like the Beatles, and my name is not 'kid' it is Agent Marian Coulson. And I used to work for you, so hopefully you would have some vague recognition of me."

"Well that explains why you looked familiar-ish, you changed your hair didn't you? How old are you?"

"I was wearing a wig when I worked for you. And I was 19 when working for you."

"You looked better with the wig." he observed, "So that was, 2008-ish, it is now 2012….you're 23. And did you say Coulson?"

"That I did." she breathed rolling her eyes at the tinman.

"I know a Coulson, first name Agent."

"He's my father, and though his first name is Phil, though it might as well be Agent."

"Well it's nice to see that your childhood has not made you bitter." The smiling billionaire jested at her obviously tense relationship with her father, "Do you have daddy issues, because if you do I could do a lot of work with that."

"Its nice to see that you haven't changed at all Tin Man." This seemed to cheer up Rogers, though the situation was still bleak as a silence crashed over the Quinjet, and the strange male tention came over the craft. All of the men seemed to be silently battling for dominance taking up as much space as they could, except for Loki. Who seemed to know that he was incontrol, his legs only slightly splayed open for his comfort.

"Romanoff? Ya feel that?" Marian grabbed the assassin's attention.

"Yes Coulson, I feel it."

"Feel what?" Rogers asked,

"This isn't going to turn out well." Marian mumbled to herself, looking between all of the dominate men, "Fell like I am in an olympic swimming pool full of testosterone."

"Testosterone?" Stark said in an offended manner placing his hand on his chest, she raised an eyebrow at him, just waiting for a snarky comment.

"20 minutes till base." the pilot announced. Tony turned away to the pilot, Marian assumed that he had forgotten his snarky comment. This caused her to be a bit disappointed, because of her love for a good sarcastic comment.

* * *

Beep! Beep!

Marian's earpiece went, she pressed her long finger to her ear, answering the call.

"Marian Coulson."

"Have you reached base?" it was Director Fury.

"Less than two minutes away, Sir." she informed politely.

"When you arrive escort Dr. Banner to the bridge, be there in 30 minutes."

"Yes Sir." she expected the call to be over when he spoke once more.

"Marian."

"Yes Sir." she said once more as the Quinjet made was just docking with the Helicarrier.

"It is good to have you back. Even if it under these circumstances." there was a twinge of pride in his voice, as he was proud of his weapon that he thought was broken but was now fixed.

"I can't say that I am happy to be back Director, but I am happy to help." lying through her teeth was easy to her, so she ended this conversation by lifting her finger off of the earpiece then pressing down on the button.

"Unlock the goddamn door." Marian grumbled after pressing the button half a dozen times before the ramp eased down. A dozen men were waiting to escort Loki to a holding area, she watched them seal his hands in magnetic locking restraints then marching him off of the craft.

Grabbing the strange scepter she followed Loki's guards knowing that they were going to have to go by the lab where Dr. Banner most certainly was. They walked at a rapid pace, not wanting to have to deal with Loki for any longer than they had to, after all he was a raging, murdering, fiend.

In a very short time they reached the vicinity of the lab, it was brightly lit and many windows. Loki seemed to purposely slow down and gawk at Banner, with a peculiar smile that said he knew volumes about he that Banner did not know about himself. The Doctor had met the strange eyes that were looking at him and from the look on his face Marian could see that he was disturbed.

She opened the door quietly, his neck was bent and he had his forefinger and thumb pressed to the bridge of his nose. Making an effort to create noise with the bottom of her boot she moved into the lab, she did not want to startle a man who had the ability to turn her into a goopy pile of organs and bones if he got angry.

"Doctor," he looked up while pushing his glasses up on his nose, "I have been sent to escort you to the bridge. I also have a preset for you." the scepter in her hand was raised slightly before she set it down on a table.

"What is that?"

"Loki had it, he was able to discharge some sort of energy from it." she looked at the clock on the wall, "We should go to the bridge, Doctor."

"Yes, of course." he straightened out his back, she moved back to the door opening it for him to go first, he nodded his head then proceeded through the opening.

"Are you enjoying your stay, Doctor?" she made polite conversation as she walked down to the bridge with him.

"It is a bit different from what I am used to."

"I would expect, Calcutta is a very different place."

"You've been?" he asked

"On a mission, once, about a year and a half ago. It was not a pleasant trip."

"One could only wonder why it was not pleasant."

"I would tell you Doctor, apparently it is classified. Even to me." the doors to the bridge slid open, "But I can tell you that it so unpleasant that I turned in my retirement papers five months later and was gone within two weeks."

"What was your name again?" He seemed enticed to hear the rest of the story, but there were things more important than her story.

"Marian Coulson." Moving through the door they made their way over to the table where Rogers, Romanoff, and Thor were gathered round. Thor had dressed down to something that she assumed was more casual for and Asgardian. His muscles bulged outwards and Marian found it hard not to stare, after all he was a beautiful man. But soon her attention was taken away by the monitors located round the table. They were lit with the image of Loki being sealed into a glass cage, with his restraints remove, while Director Fury watched over him.

"In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass." the Director pressed the button opening the massive doors that lingered beneath the glass container. Loki peered as far out as he could from his cell, "Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" Fury shut the hatch, and pointed to Loki, "Ant." then he pointed to the button, "Boot." Loki seemed amused by all of this, and smirked.

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Marian unconsciously looked to Banner, but quickly corrected herself and looked back to the screen.

"Oh, I've heard." Loki seemed to know where the cameras were, and looked deeply into it. "The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. Though I see that you have also one stronger than that beast, but her cage was built within her mind. So afraid are you of her that you keep the truth concealed." He looked away from the camera to Fury, "How desperate are you, that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you? Two who could slay you all by mere accident."

Keeping her shuttering to herself Marian recalled Loki's claim of him knowing something about her. But she held herself steady all the same, ignoring the reference to her last mission, all of them dead and gone. All of what had happened gone as well from her mind.

"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control, and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did." Director Fury had never sounded so angry, which was surprising as people often called him Nick Furious behind his back, and some like Marian to his face.

"Ooh. It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is." Talking to Loki was a waste of time, he was doing nothing by toying like an animal would do to its prey.

"Well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something." Fury turned away from Loki and the picture on the screen turned black. A world of silence hung in the air, before Banner was bold enough to speak,

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor,what's his play?" Steve asked looking for tactical information to benefit them.

"He has an army called the 're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor informed Steve who raised his eyebrows.

"An army? From outer space?"

"So he's building another portal." Banner informed, "That's what he need Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor's voice was surprised and worried.,

"He's an astrophysicist." Marian told him.

"He's a friend." Thor responded, then turned slightly away. Natasha then took part in the conversation,

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him." Steve pointed out the obvious, "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him." The crude but accurate comparison that Banner conjured together made Marian almost smile.

"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother." the deep voice of Thor declared.

 _'Defending his brother, even after all he has done.'_ It was strange to Marian that one would defend someone who has done so much.

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha said smoothly,

"He's adopted."

"Iridium?" questioned Banner with an open file, "What did they need the Iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent." announced Stark as he walked into the with Phil Coulson.

"Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD." Stark did not seem to notice Coulson explain, and instead addressed Thor,"No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." he then tapped Thor in the bicep lightly and turned to Banner, "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants." Marian guess that he was referring to the turning around to the front of the ship, "Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship top the sails."

"Really?" a subconscious word to show that she was not impressed with his joke.

"That man is playing Galaga!" Everyone's head swerved right to see what he was talking about, "Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." Stark had gradually made his way over to the control panel, and seemed dumbfounded; he covered one eye, mocking Fury, "How does Fury do this?"

"He turns." Agent Hill told him, doing as she suggested he swiveled himself around.

"Well, that sounds exhausting." he slid his hand along the metal framing of one of the screens while looking through some of the words that appeared on the screen. He once again turned around, " The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill asked raising an eyebrow.

"Last night." he answered simply, "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?" Stark seemed disappointing.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve questioned.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." the good Doctor answered, Tony seemed to be happy that someone understood,

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony walked excitedly to Banner, leaving the rest confused.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve questioned as Stark and Banner were shaking hands,

" I don't know what half of those words were." Marian met Steve's.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled." While Marian was watching this scene she could not help but think that they were going to have a 'bromance,' "And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." Dr. Banner seemed a bit taken aback and looked to the ground,

"Thanks."

"Dr. Banner," Director Fury called walking in, " is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." he spoke to Stark.

"Let's start with that stick of his." Steve got them back on topic, "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." Marian thought of Clint, he was a colleague and a teacher, she was closer to him than she was with most people.

"Monkeys? I do not understand-" Thor grumbled.

"I do!" Steve said excitedly, "I understood that reference." Marian bit her tongue to keep from laughing, while Tony rolled his eyes into another dimension.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Tony asked Dr. Banner playfully.

"Let's play some." he responded, as they walked out Marian looked to Thor and admired him for a moment. Before her father called out to her

"Agent Marian, you are to guard Loki's cell."

"Yes Sir." she spun on her heel and left the bridge, out of the corner of her eyes she saw a game of Galaga being played.


	4. Chapter 4

With purpose Marian walked to where Loki was being kept. She knew it was going to be a boring time watching over Loki, but she would persevere through it with ease. Maybe she would make her own fun and question Loki about his intentions, men like him seemed to like to talk. But though he like to talk it would be hard to know what was and what was not the truth, after all he was known by ancient peoples as the god of lies.

The lights in the hall irritated her eyes and the hum of the ship's power source gave her a headache. To cope she ground her teeth, as a way of ignoring the sensations.

Through the many twists and turns she went, and as she walked began to think intently of what Loki had said to Fury, it was a blatant reference to her. This she knew because she was not a half-wit, and she had also know that both Fury and her father had been keeping things from her. At first she thought it was just business as usual, but whatever they were not telling her felt bigger than the day to day lies. It was why she left SHIELD.

But she was somewhat glad to be back. The routine that she had established for herself was becoming tiresome after all, living in the woods in a beautiful house was peaceful. This was nice for the first three months, after that she had to invent ways to keep herself entertained. All the television and books were not cutting it. Along with remodeling the entire house she began to just go running. For miles and miles into the wood she would run till she almost didn't know how to get back to where she came from. This of course got boring, and then she began to do a few more dangerous stunts. Driving to rocky areas, running round there, flipping off of rocks and standing close to cliff edges. She loved the danger, the feeling of panic in her blood always excited her.

Now being there, back in action, it seemed useless. As Loki gave up easily, and was now taunting her with information that had been withheld from her by The Powers that Be. It made her think hard about a way to get this knowledge without sacrificing anything herself.

Large steel doors blocked her way to Loki's cell, before them standing shoulder to shoulder were two heavily armed guards

"I have been assigned to guard Loki." she told informed but they did not budge which prompted her to command the sternly, "Stand aside."

"We are not supposed to let anyone through, Miss." one said nervously.

"That's Agent to you; also I'm not just anyone, I am the woman assigned to personally guard Loki. Let me pass." she commanded them. One broke his shoulder away from the other to open the door, and the remaining one shifted out her way. While gliding through the doors she called out demeaningly, "Thank you boys."

After going on for a while through the hall she came to the glass cage that Loki was trapped in. He had his back to her so she assumed that he had not sensed her approach. Though she was wrong as he announced her.

"Hello, Marian." every word danced from his lips, "How are you doing on this fine day?" With winter eyes she looked at him, then leaned against a metal wall. The coolness of the metal seeped through the flexible cloth making her shift her shoulders to be comfortable. She looked at him, but past him as well so she could easily ignore him, "Why do you chose to ignore me.

"Because you are a royal jackass." her voice was monotone.

"Such venomous words, women should not speak in such a manner." Laughter spilled from Marian's lips at this, and she slammed the book shut.

"Women should speak in whatever manner in which they please, no one decides how I speak. Of course they could try to change that but, no one ever will dictate me."

"You have a fire that burns behind your eyes, I suspect that you came here with questions for me." he stated with his white smile.

"I was sent here to guard you; but if you want to tell me the location of the Tesseract I would be much obliged to listen."

"I shall tell you the same as I have told my brother, I know not where it is." walked closer to the glass, in effect closer to her. He placed his hand on the glass that stopped him from getting any closer to her, "Do you not wish to know what I know about you?"

"No." he seemed genuinely surprised by her answer, "The secrets that have been kept away from me for a reason. I don't want to know."

"Your mind is empty of memories, this has been done to you. I know what happened, I can give these thoughts back to you and along with it unlimited power." His green eyes lingered beyond the glass, "Let me tell you what happened in Calcutta."

Keeping her face like stone, she debated whether or not to listen. Everyone refused to tell her the details of what had taken place. Barton knew perhaps, as he outranked her in, and Barton had told much to Loki. Though Loki seemed earnest in how he said the words Marian knew the legends that were written about him. The silver tongued man, who could lie like no other and spin tales so detailed that one would have to believe what he said.

"Even if you told me, how will I know if you are telling the truth? Everyone from Earth to Asgard knows about your lying abilities." Pushing herself off the wall she walked across the grated plank that led to the door of Loki's cell. Soon there was only two inches of bulletproof glass between her and him.

"Earth knows of me?"

"Yes there are stories that are about you"

"They still tell stories of me?" he smiled looking down from his height onto her.

"Who could forget such a trickster." she said lamely not liking the smug look on Loki's face. Deciding to take that grin away she mentioned her favorite story of him. "My personal favorite is when you turn into a female horse, then slept with a male horse and got pregnant."

"That never happened." his voice rang with confusion with hints of agitation.

"Maybe it happened and you just don't remember it. Amnesia happens to the best, or in your case, the worst of us." She grinned.

"I do think that I would remember such and incident."

"Well since the story did have a pregnancy, and I don't take you for the fathering, or mothering type, it can't be true." Twisting away from the glass she chose to lean on the railing of the platform. Turning her head she met his eyes, he had been staring at her all the while, "So, I'll bite, what do you think that you know about me."

"Bite?" he seemed more helpless than Rogers was.

"I'll take the bait?" she said slowly, waiting to see if he understood. His eyebrows settled and he smiled, he was too happy it seemed to tell her what he knew.

"It is a strange tale, one that would take too long to tell. Besides why would I help you when you have done so little to help me?"

"Then why did you mention it?"

"I can give you a taste of your power." he breathed, "Come here, there is no need to fear."

"Who said I was afraid, Dr. Seuss the douche?" she spoke daringly making fun of his rhyming sentence, he only smiled. Also because he knew that she could not back down after those words, should she it would be a large bruise to her ego.

"Well then, if you are not afraid…." his smile grew and his eyes burned into her's, "then we can begin. Come closer."


	5. Chapter 5

"What are you going to do?" she slid herself close to the glass, Loki moved slightly away from the glass and allowed his silver tongue to graze his lower lip.

"You may wish to sit for this."

"Why do I need to sit?"

"We are going to be a demonstration."

"Demonstration?"

"Aye." he eased himself into a crouch, "It would be easier if you relaxed for it. So sit, and close your eyes." Going against her better judgement Marian did as he ordered, sitting on the floor before the door and shut her eyes.

"Now what."

"Sit up straight." she did as he told by bending her knees under her and resign her hands on her knees.

"You could have at least said please." she complied all the same though by bending her knees under herself and resigned her hands on her knees. "And now?"

"Relax, let your mind be empty. Let it be void of all things." She poured her thoughts out of her skull, "Feel the power writhing through you, can gather it in together within your breast?" Once again she followed his orders, it feeling all of the energy within her and storing in within her chest. A long silence followed before Loki spoke once more, "Now…. force the energy outwards from your being."

"I don't think that this is-"

"Shhh…" he said softly like one would say to a lover, "concentrate. Think of a place where you wish to go." And so she did as he wished, convinced that it was all just play and not at all real. The power that she had collected in her chest was forced outwards through her bone, muscles and skin. It was a strange feeling, but pleasurable, even though she thought it all in her mind. Then she felt the wind in her hair, and the taste of salt on her lips, and the call of the ocean.

"Marian," he called her attention, "open your eyes." Eagerly Marian opened her silver eyes to look about her. She was on a tropical beach, white sand glinting in the sunlight and a perfect blue ocean. Loki's hands were then upon her sounder and she panicked every inch of the world that she could see became tinted with a silver hue. He pulled her close to him and she panicked, pushing him back away from her, "Get off of me."

"What…" she murmured as the world around her flashed silver and suddenly the scenic view was gone and she was back on the grated bridge to Loki's cage. It had felt like a rubber band had snapped around her and she was in a mild pain.

"You were a born adventure, your power is proof of it Marian." Loki cooed, looking at her from his crouched position with a wide smile. Soon she found her way back to reason and defied the pleasure that came with whatever Loki had just done to her. However he had entered her mind and gave her hallucinations. Loki laughed as he straightened his legs to stand, "YOu have great potential, Marian." .

"You're so full of shit." Marian almost laughed,

Having been distracted by the incoming call Marian turned away from Loki to answer whomever it was. Knowing what it would be about she pressed the button.

"Agent Coulson."

"Stark?" she paused in confusion. It was not what she had expected, or who she expected. What she expected was to be scolded for interacting with the prisoner, or to be taken away and labeled as some freak then put away for ever. And she expected all of this to have been done by Director Fury. But looking to the security cameras she could see that they had been switched off, a great relief to her. Refocusing on Stark she questioned him, "How did you get into the communications system?"

"I'm a genius, never mind that, get down to the lab."

"Did you stop and think that maybe I might be busy, you know, doing my job?"

"No." she could practically hear him shrug his shoulders. "Just get down here."

"Star-"

"Now." he cut her off then ended the call. She let go of the button, and let her eyes move to Loki then spun around on her heel.

"Farewell, Marian." Loki called as she moved away from the cage.

"Don't get too lonely, I'll be back soon." her voice was marred with irritation. Boot clad feet marched her out of the room, down the hallway to the guarded steel door. The two guards gave her hell, once again, but soon let her pass as soon as she pulled rank. Delighting in knowing that made them furious Marian smiled, she was younger than them and had reached a status that they likely never would.

The walk to the lab was not at all long, as she had taken the back way to avoid the electronic doors. The door that she came to was large and metallic locked with a metal deadbolt. She unlocked the door then slammed the door open.

"What in the name of God do you want?"


	6. Chapter 6

"I thought this room could use a pretty face." Tony stated looking her up and down as Rogers and Banner stood idly by.

"Why? It already has three gorgeous faces." as she said this she leaned against the frame of the door with a smirk. Then she gauged their reactions, what she saw made her smirk broadened to a smile. Rogers shook his head in disapproval and gained a red tint to the sides of his face. Banner put a half hearted smile out there then promptly went back to his work. The least amusing of them was Stark's smile, which took away hers and she pushed herself away from the frame, "What do you actually want me for?"

"I just wanted your opinion something," he held out a silver package containing blueberries, "Blueberry?"

"What do you want my opinion on?" saying this she shook her hand as a sign that she did not want the blueberries.

"I wanted to know why Furry called us in now, but not before."

"Before? Do you think that I know why? Cause I've been retired for over a year, I know nothing." Moving to Loki's scepter she leaned down to look at its blue light.

"Well that's obvious, but I haven't brought you here to ask you about it."

"Can you get to the point Stark? I'm not even supposed to be here." Throwing her emotions away, and letting her voice become blank she said this. The voice that she had used was oddly threatening, and could make the hairs on anyone's neck stand on edge. This caused Stark to spill immediately.

"Okay, so, I have a decryption program breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files." The look that she gave to him was one that no one could read, "Why are you staring at me like a sociopath, are you a serial killer or something becau-"

"Even if I was a serial killer I wouldn't even get the chance to kill you, because what you are doing could easily be classified as treason. Like the type of treason where there is not trial, they just put you up against a wall and kill ya treason." turning to Banner and Rogers, "Did you two know about this or did he just trap you into this?"

"Miss. Coulson" Rogers began respectfully, "I had no idea about this." Disrespectfully Stark rolled his eyes, and Marian faced him.

"Why would you call me here, I am only a temporary SHIELD agent, but I am still required to report this to the Director."

"Because one of the first files that I have uncovered is about you." Stark answered perfectly, "Something about a mission, over a year ago in Calcutta. Its very interesting, and I am sure that you would want to take a peak. Also I need your opinion on this whole debacle."

"My opinion? My opinion is that this is treason." This statement was said without Marian thinking of what had just taken place near Loki's cage. As soon as she recalled those almost fresh memories she said, "It is also my opinion that you should give me all the files that you find that have my name in them."

"I knew that I would win you over."

"Just find the cube." Rogers said in a commanding voice before storming out of the lab.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about?" Stark said looking through the glass that Rogers was walking by, as he handed Marian a glass table. "Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice."

"The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us." Banner spoke half-heartedly. Nodding her head in agreement as she sat down near the lab table next to Banner and began to read the information on the tablet.

"What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does." Banner once again shook his head and moved away to a distant control panel. Forcefully Marina drowned out the sound of their conversation, as she did not want to eavesdrop on the blooming bromance.

The information on the tablet turned out not to be worth agreeing with Stark on, it was the things she already knew of. How she killed every target in the warehouse, how she survived, and how she did not remember any of it. The frustration of not getting any answers built up within her,

'That's it?' In a rage she slammed down the glass tablet hitting the table, it shattered and splintered. Leaving shards everywhere while also gaining the attention of Stark and Banner.

"You don't have to destroy thing just because you didn't like them." Tony stated.

"I thought I had anger issues." Banner said under his breath as he stepped over the glass on the floor.

"What's up sport?" Stark said as he clasped her shoulder, she looked at his hand and thought about telling him to push off, instead she looked to Banner,

"Remember when I told you I had a mission in Calcutta?" she asked.

"Yes, I asked more about it, but you said that it was classified."

"The reason it was classified, was because I dont rember the majority of time that I spent there. As I had amnesia, and still do I suppose as I cannot remember the three days before the incident or the incident itself."

"Why were you in Calcutta?"

"I was sent to eliminate a group who sought to obtain your DNA, the file says that I was able to track them down to a warehouse. There were more men in the ware house than I thought, so when I was sent to plant a bomb to eliminate them I was overwhelmed. I was told that there were only ten targets when there were actually 50."

"How are you here then?" asked Banner asked as he leaned over the lab table.

"I don't know, I don't remember.I was hoping what you had gave me some answers, but all I got was nothing. I hate not knowing."

"Huh-Maybe once I retrieve more of the files there will be something." he walked away then looked to the broken glass, "Are you going to clean that up, or is there a cleaning staff?" Instead of answering Stark, she grabbed up a broom and dustpan that were hidden between the wall and a cabinet. Then she began to sweep up the mess that she had made.

"So you'll let me know if you find anything on me?" Marian questioned.

"Anything for you beautiful."

"Thats Agent Beautiful to you." Having finished sweeping up all of the broken glass, Marian stood up and moved over to a waste disposal located in the wall. Dumping the contents of the dustpan into the wall, "If you find any more files involving this, could you tell me?"

"As long as you don't tattle on me."

"Inform me of all files involving me, and Nick Furious will not hear a word from me. Now I will be on the bridge as I have a few questions for my daddy dearest." Marian pushed the button and the doors slid open.

"Tell him I said hello." waving his hand in a lazy manner he then commanded, "Get out."

Marian moved away from the lab, on her way to the bridge. At that moment she knew two things for certain, the first was that Fury was hiding something from her, the second was that her father knew what Fury was hiding from her. It was unlikely that he would tell her immediately, but if she begged a tad he might be prone to hint her in the right direction.


	7. Chapter 7

Marian's left foot was in the bridge before the doors had fully opened. Finding her father in a deep conversation with Thor she stood idly by, listening in. As they were talking she looked over to the screen that they were staring at. There was Jane Foster's record, as she was a prominent SHIELD scientist Marian had become familiar with her.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster. We've got an excellent observatory in Traunsee, she was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe." As Coulson talked, Thor's eyes drifted from the monitor to the talking man.

"Thank you. It is no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he is done. Erik is a good man."

"He talks about you a lot. You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

"Things were better as they were. We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we... we come here battling like Bilchsteim."

"Like what?"

"Bilchsteim? You know; huge, scaly, big antlers. You don't' have those?"

"Don't think so."

"They are repulsive, and they trample everything in their path." Thor moved away from the monitor to the window causing the two Coulson's to follow, "When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here and your people paid the price. And now again. In my youth I courted war."

"War hasn't started yet." Director Fury marched onto the bridge, pushing past Marian, "You think you can make Loki tell us what the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield, it's not just power he craves, it's vengeance upon me. There's no pain that would pry his need from him."

"A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts."

"What are you asking me to do?" The issue of torture had alarmed their visitor, but Marian was not around long before her father tapped her on the arm. This grabbed her attention, and she followed her father away from the conversation. In order to not have their conversation too closely observed the Coulsons moved off of the bridge and to a small closet office that was for her father. The room held a small desk, and chair in which he promptly sat down in his hands on the desk. While there were two other chairs that that sat in front of the desk Marian chose to stand at attention.

"You left your post. Why?" the commanding voice that overtook him was odd to Marian, but not at all unsurprising as he was her superior.

"I needed to talk to you." she answered with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"About what?" he asked, transforming into a concerned father.

"Mission 10031904, in Calcutta over a year ago."

"The Banner mission? Marian at a time like this is this mission truthfully all that important, we are at war and you are worried about something that happened over a year ago?"

"I am worried about what happened in that warehouse because it does pertain to certain aspects of what is happening now."

"Sit. Explain."

"Loki knows something about what happened, and about what happened in Calcutta." this she spoke all as she was making her way to a sitting position.

"He could have gotten that information from anyone who he used that scepter on."

"Yes, this is true, but I know something happen-"

"Yes something did happen. You got lucky, that's what happened."

"It's more than that. I would like to have access to the files."

"No it's not." He stood sharply, "Your request has been denied."

"Why? What harm could me looking at a few files do."

"You are not here to look at files, you are supposed to be guarding Loki. And more importantly because I said so."

"That's a shit answer!"

"Watch your mouth." his voice became fatherly for an instant, before opening the door to his closet office. As he went through the door Marian jumped up and followed him.

"How's the woman you've been seeing." taking a moment to find the woman's name in her memory, "Audrey Nathan? A cellist right?"

"She is doing wonderful." he answered pulling a paper from the inner breast pocket and held it out to her. Taking it with a look of consternation upon her face she glanced down to it, "Perhaps you should visit her some time. Until then return to your post."

"Yes Sir." With the paper in her hand she turned to walk away but was stopped by her father calling out to her.

"Marian."

"Yes Sir." she said once more, not turning around to see him. In his voice should could hear a world of secrets he wished to tell her.

"Nevermind, I'll see you soon."

* * *

Coming to Loki's cell, Marian had to deal with the two guards once more. As expected they gave her hell but let her through to guard Loki. As she marched closer to Loki's cage she heard voices, and decided to slow down letting herself creep till she could see the cage. Peaking around the corner she saw Romanoff speaking to Loki. Feeling as if Romanoff was in the middle of one of her schemes, Marian stayed in the shadows.

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton." It seemed to Marian that what happened to Coulson was not what was most important thing, but then again she had been selfish only a moment ago and had left her post.

"I'd say I have expanded his mind." Loki smoothly responded to Natasha.

"And once you've won? Once you're king of the mountain? What happens to his mind?"

"Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" Holding back laughter Marian shook her head. Though she did see a possibility between the two, she did not think that Romanoff was interested in anyone. Or even if she had the ability as Marian had never seen the assassin show interest in another human, or at least any sexual attraction and had come to the conclusion that Romanoff was asexual. And besides the talented agent's lack of interest, Coulson had a family whom he loved more than anything.

"Love is for children. I owe him a debt." Making wide eyes at no one and thinking about how this response should have been expected, Marian peaked around the corner. The alien behind the glass had taken multiple steps back then lounged on the bench in the cell.

"Tell me." It was no request, but an order to Romanoff to tell her of the debt.

"Before I worked for SHIELD, I uh….well, I made a name for myself." Natasha began to explain as she crouched down into a comfortable position, "I have a very specific skillset. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" with the voice that he used it seemed as if he truthfully was considering what Romanoff was asking for.

"Not let you out."

"Ah, I like this." Loki's laugh echoed through the metal halls, "Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?"

"Regimes rise and fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian...or I was."

"What is it you want?"

"It's not really that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter? São Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is not dripping, it is gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?" he stood sharply, seemingly enraged, "This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer…..PATHETIC! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away."

BOOM!

Loki's fist collided with the glass of his cell and Natasha jerked back, "I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! He'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!"

"You're a monster." Natasha whimpered after she had turned away from his gaze letting Loki laugh once again.

"No," his word lingered, "you brought the monster." Marian's face split into a smile, finding this scheme of Natasha's to be some her best work as she had just out-lied the God of Lies. Natasha then broke character to face Loki with a straight face.

"So, Banner...that's your play." Loki's sneering was put to rest and replaced by confusion, while Romanoff messaged one of her commanders.

"What?" breathed Loki.

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." her ever changing eyes went to Loki, "Thank you for your cooperation."

Marian emerged from the nook clapping while a smiled was tattooed on her face. Then she bowed at the waist to Romanoff as she passed chanting,

"I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy." This received only a slight raise of the eyebrow from Romanoff who was too worried about Banner to be considered with Marian's tomfoolery. As soon as Romanoff was gone Marian moved in front of the glass cage with a large smile on her face.

"Lying to a lie god. She is good." Loki's eyes burned with rage as he gazed upon her before going to sit on the far side of the cage, "Well then, pout."

"I do not pout." he stated.

"Then what do you call what you are doing right now?" silver eyes squinted her eyes and cocked her head to the left, "Sulking? Seething?"

"Thinking." the smooth answer flowed out of his pale lips. She rolled her eyes then took out the paper she had stuffed into her sports bra in order to avoid any questions from the guards. After she unfolded it she inspected what had been written upon it, which was an address written in her father's hand writing along with a small note,

_'It's Audrey's address, I would like you to visit her. I know that you will love her."_

"What kind of bulls-" she thought out loud. Having hopped this was some pass code to get into the files that she wished to get into. This disappointment was enough to make her through a tantrum. But she saved the paper all the same stuffing it in the deepest part of her bra, which drew odd looks from the locked up Loki, but she did not care about him. It was clear that her father was not going to help her, and she despised seeing those that she did not know. She murmured, "Well at least I'll have something to do after all this is done with."

* * *

The soft hum of the ship took over for about 15 minutes before Marian became deeply disturbed by Loki's senseless stare. Mock checking her left wrist for an imaginary watch before rolling her head in the direction of Loki.

"What's on your mind, Lucky Loki?" She questioned in a rat-tat-tat rhythm.

"I do believe that you know."

"Conquest?"

"Well, yes." he swaggered away from the bench, "Another, is you."

"Quite the charmer." she spoke lamley, "Must work on all of the ladies, or men."

"Never had much interest in ladies, but women. Women are lovely, while ladies have always seemed so very frivolous to me." It took a long moment for Marian a long moment to realize that he was talking about ladies of the court, which led her to wonder for a moment about what it was like on Asgard. Thought she had another question that seemed more important to her that it should have been,

"And men?"

"Aye, men are fine as well."

"I guess we do have something in common."

"What would that be."

"Two shared interests." huffing before she spoke another question, "Why didn't you tease me about what you plan for Barton? Ya know torment me with what's coming?"

"I know that he means much to you." His long legs took him over to the glass, "A father to you more than the one that you call father now. But he does not see you as a daughter and cares little for you and your hedonistic ways. "

"Well then-" she breathed, "I don't believe you."

"Then I shall make him tell you himself. I shall watch him break you with every truth that has not been told to you and then, I shall make you mine."

"Frist of all I find the whole 'mine' business offensive, secondly how will you make him do anything when you're trapped in that big, glass ca-"

Boom!

An explosion shook the ship sending Marian over the railing that lined the walkway to Loki's cell. Hanging by the tips of her fingers she swayed over a 50 foot drop. The Helicarrier were twisting all about preventing her from climbing back up to more solid ground. Still she tried to pull herself up, but her grip was not strong enough.

"I feel that soon I will be free of your prison dear Marian." Loki announced, his legs spread to keep his weight even as the ship flayed around. Spying upwards with rage she snarled,

"Do you mind?" With his hands raised in false submissiveness he spoke,

"Not at all, Marian."


	8. Chapter 8

The Helicarrier was swinging every which making it difficult for Marian to not fall and smash her skull on the metal that laid beneath. Marian could hear her earpiece going off the rails, multiple people were trying to contact her. Knowing that she was needed she ground her teeth and pressed her fingers into the grate of the flooring. Slowly but surely, she clawed her way upwards getting her torso on the flooring she swung her left leg up and over the platform. She propped herself up, leaving her right leg hanging over the edge, and pressed the button in her earpiece.

"Agent Marian Coulson." she half yelled.

"What the hell have you been doing?" her father's voice yelled back.

"Hanging out?" putting a small inflection to her words she could feel her father shake his head over the intercom.

"We are being attacked"

"I put that together myself, the explosion and all."

"One of the turbines is out. I believe that this is an attempted to rescue Loki. Can I count on you to deal with whomever makes it past our defenses?"

"Yes Sir." she said as she always did.

"I will be down there as soon as I can." there was a suspension in the air before the call ended, "Marian?"

"Yes Sir."

"Be…" he held his words back once more, "Be careful."

"Of course, Sir." with the press of her father's finger the call was ended.

Boom! Bang! Crash!

ROAR!

The sounds of destruction came from the far side of the ship. Strange sounds of metal tearing as paper would and the beastly roar that she had only heard once before. The Hulk had been unleashed; Marian twisted herself around towards Loki.

His haunting smile split across his face once more, his eyes glided to Marian as she pulled herself up off the floor.

"I think your friends are here." the ship jerked violently, Loki who had always seemed in control was as stable as a mountain. Marian on the other hand had to grasp onto the railing to keep in place.

"That they are." His head raised so that he had to look down his nose at her, "And now I have a proposition for you…. Marian."

"And this is the perfect time to tell me all about it!" she braced her feet against the railing.

"This is the only time, considering that you sky ship shall soon fall into the sea."

"Sky ship?" the Helicarrier veered to the side once more, after she adjusted herself she focused on Loki, "One it is called a Helicarrier; two, what in the name of this God's green earth, would ever make me even consider listening to a proposition that came from you? You who, might I just say, enjoys causing pain and has killed over 50 people in about two days."

"I can give you the truth, the one that has been kept from you for the longest time. The thing that has forever eluded you shall do so no more." The creaks and groans all over the ship were nothing as Marian locked eyes with Loki. Wishing to hear more, but knowing that his promises were empty.

"Let me guess, all you want me to do is open the door for you!"

"No...my dear Marian, I can do it myself." the ship became stable, she squinted her eyes into question marks, he answered the question in her eyes by pointing behind her. The hair upon the back of her neck rose, slowly she turned, only to catch a glimpse of a reflection of Loki before he struck her skull.

Loki's reflection gripped her by the neck and eased her down to the floor. The cold of the metal floor cradled her; Marian's eyes were half open she tried to force her way up before Loki's reflection opened the door to the true Loki's cell.

"My proposition is…and always will be there, Marian." Her head clunked to the ground, and rolled to her left. The sound of the doors sliding open moved the silence,

"No!" a thunderous voice called out, over her the famed Thor ran over Marian's unconscious body to charge the fleeing Loki, only to be fooled as Marian was. Falling through a reflection of Loki into the cage, and the doors closed behind Thor, sealing him in.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" teased Loki as footsteps of a combat booted soldier marched into the room, carrying in his hand Loki's scepter.

Boom!

Thor slammed his hammer, Mjӧlnir into the glass walls of Loki's former cell. It shook the ship and fractured the glass. Loki tensed for a moment, in anticipation for the whole glass case fall downwards. When he realized that Thor would not go plumbed to his death, Loki smiled and swaggered forward to the prison's control panel. Before addressing Thor, he bent down to Marian's discarded book and took it in his hand and looked down to her unconscious form.

"Take her." he ordered his guard who secured her over his shoulder and marched out of the room through the small exit on the far side of the room. Loki then looked to Thor, "The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?" pale fingers hovered over the big red button that would drop the glass cell downwards.

"Move away, please." the voice of Phil Coulson commanded the would be king. In his hands was a bulky prototype weapon, Loki moved away slowly from the control panel the book still in his hand, "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does." he cocked the weapon, "Do you wanna find out?" The second his sentence was finished a blade ripped through his chest. Loki had fooled everyone once again. What Coulson was aiming at was not Loki, but another allusion. While his attention, and weapon, were focused on the illusion, Loki had crept upon him with his scepter.

Thor screamed out as Coulson eased himself against the wall and the reflection of Loki faded, leaving the hard cover book to slam against the floor.

"Tis a pity, I'll have to tell his… daughter." the word daughter was used loosely. Loki swaggered over to the fallen book and took it in his hand, and proceeded to the control panel. Giving his brother one last look as his hand danced over the panel before slamming down. The cell shot down, out into open air plummeting to the ground. With no remorse Loki shrugged and started to leave.

"You're gonna lose." Coulson's weak voice spoke, Loki halted his movement and turned,

"Am I?"

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky, I am now in possession of one of SHIELD's best kept secrets...where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction." Loki was becoming irritated with the dying man and made a move forward

"I don't think I…"

BOOM!

Coulson pulled the trigger of the experimental weapon that sent Loki through the wall, he then laughed,

"So that's what it does."

* * *

Loki arrived at the Quinjet that had come to rescue him, and though Barton was missing he did not care. There were more important things to worry about, besides he no longer needed Barton and he had Marian. She would be a great asset if he was able to persuade her to his cause. In that moment she was restrained at the wrists, and she was just coming to consciousness.

As soon as her silver eyes were opened she had a slight panic trying to move her hands, but realized that she was bound. Her years of training helped her calm herself, though she still grimaced at Loki unable to hide her displeasure.

"What fresh hell is this?" she groaned, manipulating her hands to the spot on her head that had been hit. "I think I've been concussed. How long was I unconscious?"

"About ten of your Earth minutes."

"Yup, I'm concussed." The ramp to the Quinjet closed and took off. "Where are you taking me?"

"You shall see once we arrive." After sitting by her, wishing to stand but being in closed quarters Marian stretched her legs, twisting her feet at the ankles. Loki inspected her then reached down her uniform, she kept her eyes straight forward as he plucked the note from her bra and slid it out.

"Now what is this?"

"A note my father gave to me." the muscles in her throat tightened as he took the note in his hand, inspecting it with his green eyes. His head was tilted down as her read the note, his hair fell at the same angle his head was tilted. Worry possessed her for a second as he was looking at the paper for a moment too long, suddenly he placed the paper back where he had gotten it from. She cringed at his touch but did not show it to him.

"Have you decided to listen to my proposition?" Shaking her head before lowering it into her restrained hands. Pressing her hands to her skull, trying to relieve the pain. In an uncharacteristic act of concern for her, Loki lifted her head looking at her face, "I must have struck you harder than I intended, my apologies."

"Well," she sneered, "I guess an apology makes everything better." A man with a med. kit came up to her kneeling down and doing his best to tend to her. Though it was obvious that he had no qualifications or experience with such a thing.

"While I have your attention-"

"Oh, believe me you don't. I'm just going to focus on not falling asleep till I can get to the doctor, because I definitely have a concussion and should I fall asleep I might not wake up." Her vision was blurry, there was a twist to her stomach along with a powerful pain in her skull. It was made only worse by Loki's attention to her, he pressed his long finger to her neck tracing down.

"I wish for you to join me. In return I shall become your tudor, and shall tell you no lies; I swear this to you. All you have to do is serve me, be my companion from here until one of us meets the end."

"Your companion?" Marian began to laugh, "Did you just ask me to be your mistress or did you hit me even harder than I though?"

"You misunderstand me. I meant as a friend, for I see much of myself in you. Soon I shall become very powerful, and can have few friends. I need someone I can trust."

"What makes you think that you can trust me? And more importantly how can I ever trust you? After all humans did once think that you were the God of Lies."

"All my life I have been lied to, as have you. Our friendship would be pure and free of such things."

"Said the God of Lies?"

"I could never lie to you. Besides I doubt you would fall for any of my lies, you are too mighty for it."

"Not mighty enough to avoid a concussion."

"In time you may reconsider."

"As both you and a horse would say,  _'nay'_ "


	9. Chapter 9

"East? Why are we flying East?" Marian asked. They were headed straight towards the East coast of the United States, and there were multiple places where Loki could be taking her. Cities, towns, and multiple bases that Loki most likely knew of. The question she asked was met by silence, as it did not really matter where he was taking her, she could not escape him. All of her weapons had been taken away from her, except for the knife in her right boot. Though it would have been more than difficult to fight off several men and a powerful alien with just a knife. Though she knew that she had to find a way to be rid of Loki, every moment that passed made her consider taking his request. Not because she wanted power or prestige, she just wished to understand what was happening to her.

This curiosity seemed to come from her knowing that out of all the lies that he had ever spoken, he was telling the truth now. Loki wanted to help her know who she was, for his own gain of course, but still he wished to help. It was clear to her that Loki was not going to take no for an answer, but also that he would not force anything upon her. He would simply wear her down overtime with sweet offers, and tempting rewards. This confused her thought, not knowing why he would not harm her made her worry that there could be something worse for her instore. More likely than not he saw her as a powerful ally, for what reason she could not be sure but her thoughts drifted to the silver essence that had only a few hours ago engulfed her. In her young bones she knew that he would never hurt her, it was in the way he looked at her that she could tell. That gaze was as if he was looking a mirror, and becoming startled that it was not his own face he saw.

Flexing her handcuffed wrists Marian shifted herself so that her back was straight as the wall the she rested upon. Forcing her eyes to stay open and shifting about, she whimpered as it was proving a more difficult task than she had hopped for.

"Marian?" Loki was at her side in a moment after the soft sounds that must have made her sound as if she were distressed.

"What?" she bit with a growl coming from the back of her throat. Not restraining any of her anger she looked to him.

"Why, must you treat me so…" he stood over her, to resist the closeness she pressed herself to the wall then kicked him in the chest with her right foot, pushing him away and preventing him from coming any closer, and letting her booted foot linger on his chest. With his thin lips turning into a smile he placed his left hand on the tip of her boot while his right grasped the bottom so that he was holding her foot in place.

"You have killed people, that is why I treat you like this. Because you deserve it." Trying to yank back her foot she found that he was grasping it too tightly, keeping it placed on his chest. "Let go."

"No." While she struggled once more, Loki simply held still, "There is no use in fighting. My physical strength is much greater than yours."

"Still gonna try." she jerked her leg once more.

"I would be disappointed if you did not." letting his left hand from her heel, he slid it up the back of her calf. Running his fingers over the grey of her boots, finding the outline of the knife beneath. A look of both disappointment and pride came to his face. Slowly he slipped his fingers down into her boot to grasp the knife, the cold of his fingers making her muscles tense. As soon as he took the hilt of the knife he yanked his hand out, holding it up to inspect the blade. "It would take more than this to defeat me."

"Do I get an A for effort?" The confused look on his face caused her to change the topic, "You said that we had something in common?"

"Might I remind you that you disagreed?" Dropping the knife he place his hand back on her ankle, "Have you changed your mind?"

"I don't know, I don't know much about you. Or myself as you say. So how would I know if I am right?"

"What do you wish to know of me?"

"Tell me what we have in common." The Quinjet began to lower, all the while Loki and Marian were focused on one another. Marian's change shocked him and he moved back from her allowing her to retrieve her leg. The ramp of the Quinjet dropped, and Loki moved out of the Quinjet and down the ramp. Having been so captured by his eyes Marian moved without thinking, but was pushed back by Loki's slaves.

"Let her pass." Loki commanded, they parted so that she could follow the strange man.

As the Quinjet had moved westward the sunrise had been delayed and it was still dark out, but Marian could see the glow of New York City in the distance. Three black armoured cars stood a short distance from the Quinjet. Loki had already slipped into one of them, and had left the door open waiting for her to come in. At that moment she became nervous, realizing that she would be confined in a tight area with him and took a step back.

"Come along Marian." he told her, his guards pushed her forward urging her into the car impatiently. Slipping into the car next Loki after sneering at the men Marian became tense. Sitting on his right side, his body was manipulated so that he faced her. The door was closed with a large booming sound that shocked Marian, making the muscles in her throat momentarily tense. A man hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine, jolting the car go forwards.

"So, uh. Are ya gonna tell me about yourself?"

"Perhaps when we have some more privacy." Sensing that he was stalling Marian felt a bought of courage. Leaning forward to the driver she said,

"Raise the partition please." This was not done immediately as the driver looked to Loki for confirmation. With a simple nod that Loki gave the driver did as Marian said. A semisolid screen rolled upwards between the back seat and the front.

"Where shall I begin?" he spoke to himself with his brow pressed together.

"Preferably not the end." Marian said sarcastically.

"Then the beggining, I assume, is where I should start from."


	10. Chapter 10

Loki leaned back ever so slightly, Marian looked at his scepter that had been placed against the the chair in front of them.

"There was a war, long ago, between the Frost Giants and Asgardians."

"Frost Giants?" Marian pressed her eyebrows together.

"More commonly know as Jotuns, they have blue skin with red eyes and a tall stature. As their name does tell they run at a very cold temperature, and their world is cold as well. They have the ability to create ice allowing them to form weapons at a moment's notice."

"So what did they do to cause the war?"

"What makes you assume they started the war?"

"While each side is responsible in some way, one side had to have made the first move that started the whole thing."

"You are correct." He said with a small smile, then attained his more serious tone, "Their king, Laufey, attacked your Earth. Killing all that crossed them turning the land into a frozen hell. That was until the Asgardians stood to end their terror, Laufey's army was forced back to their homeworld, Jotunheim, there they were defeated. Yet Odin-"

"Your father?" Marian cut him off, yet this she found was the wrong question to ask as his hand was loosely around her throat pressing her back to the seat. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to ensure she was under her under control.

"He is not my father," the hands about her throat were burning cold and the green eyes that he bore changed to a horrific red. This red was clashed by the blue that swirled over his sharp cheekbones, Marian placed her hands on his chest out of fear. "Odin stole much from Jotunheim upon that day, the source of the power, The Casket of Ancient Winters. And also the newborn Prince."

"Let me go." she closed her eyes using all of her might to push him away from her. He complied slipping back away from her. When he was away she grasped her throat, the cool of his skin had burned her. "So that is why you are doing this, because daddy didn't give you enough attention?"

"Odin raised me as his own, telling me that I was born to be king, yet when the time came there was only one throne to be given. A throne that was given to his true son, who was and still is a babbling fool."

"What did you real father have to say about this? He must have noticed that you were gone."

"I had been, abandoned."

"Why?"

"I was small for an Ice Giant," his voice was full of sadness, "my spices does not tolerate any weakness, or deformity."

"Odin must have still loved you, he raised you like a son. And Thor, he still cares about you, defended you when Banner called you insane."

"Yes. My brother…" a venomous voice filled the air, as the blue of his skin was slowly leached away. Leaving his pale skin behind, and his emerald eyes returned from their bright red. "He is not my brother, as he is not a monster as I am. My father as well, is no father to me, as is yours."

"What?"

"He is not your father Marian. All of your life you have been lied to, join me and no lies shall I tell you." Marian did not know what to do as he looked deep within her. The worst part of her spoke that this was the truth and begged her to be selfish and join Loki. But the stronger part of her saved her as the car jolted to a stop.

"I don't believe you."

"Are you always so stubborn?"

The driver opened his door taking the scepter then marched around to Loki's side to open his door. Loki stepped out then walked away from the car taking his scepter to a set of doors, while the guard grabbed the small chain that connected her hand cuffs together and yanked her out of the car. This bruised her wrists and she yelped making it known, but it was ignored.

"Why are we here?" The question came when she saw where they were. It was the Stark Tower, standing multiple stories tall, so that the name Stark could be seen over all of the city. As the person who had designed the building had his name put on it in giant silver letters.

"This shall be the sight of my conquest." The pain in her head throbbed as she looked side to side, the streets were largely empty as the sun was just rising. Parting glass doors moved as Loki walked into the building she was pushed along by Loki's goons whom had exited their respective vehicles. A man who sat in front of the reception desk looked to Loki.

"Where is Selvig?" Loki questioned the man.

"Right this way Sir." The guard led Loki, Marian and Loki's escorts to an elevator. He produced a key that unlocked all levels of the building, the silver doors slid open and all the guards spilled into the cramped space.

"I do believe that this is a journey that I make on my own, gentlemen." he raised his scepter as the doors closed, "I do thank you for your service." a blue beam flashed from the head of the spear.

"Don't!" Marian reached for his scepter but his right hand held her back while with his left killed all of the men in the elevator. The flesh of the men had turned to ashes, yet the metallic walls of the elevator were left untouched. All of the blood in her body had run cold, Loki removed his hand from her as he lowered his scepter. Having seen some horrid things in her time, but that action was ranked upon the highest. Raising herself of to the tips of her feet to avoid the remains of his victims and closing her eyes until a ding signaled that the elevator had reached its destination. She could hear the sound of the metal doors opening.

"Are you coming?" Marian looked to the ground where the remains of the men laid in her path to the exit. "Now, now, Marian we cannot delay."

"Why didn't you let them go?" she ground her feet into the floor, refusing to move.

"I had no further use for them." he yanked the chain between her wrist dragging her through the ashes. The grip on the bottom of her shoes did nothing to help as he dragged her about, the metal armor on her arms clanked as it hit the frame of the elevator. The doors of the elevator closed behind her as Loki released her. Before looking about the room she paid attention to her boots, and stomped off the ashes.


	11. Chapter 11

"Again why are we here?" Marian questioned, looking about finding that she was on the top floor of the Stark tower. Having already looked about the room for means of escape she did not know what to do. The shiney new building was somewhat nice to look out, but it gave her little in means of helping escape Loki.

"I have told you why we are here, this is the site of my conquest. The site of the battle to come." he shook his head and smiled at her. Walking so that he infront of her making her look into his eyes. "This shall be my battle ground."

"Oh!" A surprised man's voice rang out, catching the attention of both Marian and Loki. It was Selvig, standing before a door that led up to the building's roof, "You're here?"

"That I am, where is your project that you have worked so hard on?"

"On the roof." Selvig's eyes were dead and he looked so happy to help Loki.

"Wait for me here, Marian." Putting the key to the cuffs in the palm of her left hand. Then he swaggered away from her, following Selvig up the steps to the roof. Quickly she freed herself from the bindings, as soon as she was free she popped her wrists and knucles. A habit that her father had been constantly annoyed with since she was little.

Having her hands back to herself was a great relief, and allowed her to search for another way out. Her first instinct was to open the elevator doors and sneak out that way, but she lacked the key that would allow her to access the other floors. Then she looked at the bar, thinking that she could break a bottle to defend herself with, but she knew that effort would be futile. Rogers could barely keep toe-to-toe with Loki, and he was a super human.

Then another idea came to her, she found that her earpiece was still with her, so she pressed the button in hopes of getting hold of another agent. But again she was disappointed, as the only thing that she picked up was radio silence.

"I suppose there is nothing to do but wait." she walked to the glass windows. Outside there was as curved balcony that branched around to two doors. Her mind drifted to the memory of Loki's blue skin, and she wondered why he was so angry. If Odin did not take him as his son, he might have died as a baby.

"Do you enjoy the view, Marian?" He had silent feet and surprised Marian, who had not heard the footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Why are you doing this?" she breathed without turning around to see him, "I don't understand." He pressed his forefingers to the curve of her back and danced it downwards causing every muscle to tense with anxiety.

"When I was a child, my father taught me that I was born to be king." he removed both fingers, then he spoke with a growl echoing within his words, "And so I shall be."

"Maybe, for a time." she moved away from the window and from Loki, "But us humans, have a way of finding our freedom. We love our freedom and will fight to the death over it."

"We? You speak as if you were one of them."

"I am one of them, Earth is my home. Or are you going to wait till you dominate humanity to tell me that I am not one of them?"

"Why would I tell you? You who have not sworn allegiance to me." he walked about her as a panther would, "Yet, there shall always be a chance for you, Marian. Swear to me your everything and I shall make you…. powerful."

"The moment I swear allegiance to you, is the moment I lose all of my power."

"It is a pity that you think so. Even more pitiful is that you believe that you have power now, but another offer than. I shall give you back the memories that were lost from you." This is what caught her, it was hard for her to deny that that was what she wanted. To avoid him knowing how she truly felt she turned away. Loki grabbed her shoulders from behind, pushing himself close to her."I know what your heart desires….I shall give you everything. All you must do is surrender to my dear Marian, tell me of your thoughts." He pressed his face into the bend of her neck.

'Do what you do best Marian, lie.' This was her only option as she saw it, so she raised her hand to place it upon his head that rested upon her. His hands held onto her waist pulling her closer to him, she closed her eyes and pretend that he was someone else.

"And so you are mine?" The question was no one that she could have answered with words because she knew that her voice would have faltered. With a quickness she turned around, grabbing onto his face and pulling him into a kiss. To her it was nothing, but to Loki it seemed as if he bought it. He pulled her closer, running his hands over her body. Suddenly he grabbed her hair pulling it, so that he could look into her eyes. This motion did nothing to help the hammering in her head that was caused by a concussion. "You are mine."

"I am my own." she pushed him away, walking around him. But he grabbed her metal clad arm twisting her around, she was forced to face him again his eyes were on fire. The rage that he had, was horrific to Marian. "Let me go."

"No." This word moved like a serpent, and crawled over his skin making her shiver. His hand soon became gentle again as he moved them to her face, forcing her to keep eye contact with him as he spoke. And once again his voice was gentle again, "No matter how much you insist that you are your own, it is as simple truth that every person is a slave to someone, or something."

"I am not a slave." her lips quivered with anger as she growled the words out. Then she forced his hands off of her and pushed him violently away from her. The quick movements were enough to surprise him and cause him to stumble backwards. Not wanting to speak with him further about the subject she looked at him. "So when does your battle begin?"

"So many questions." he huffed, seeming not to be angered by her actions against them.

"I thought that there would be no secrets between us."

"I do believe I said that there would be no lies between us, I never spoke of secrets." Her strong jaw clenched in anger an she huffed, "Though, what is a secret but a shadow of a lie. I shall keep nothing from you. The battle shall begin soon, as at anytime my army shall be granted passage to this world. I shall go see how Selvig is progressing with this."

Going to the stairwell he spiraled up to the roof, while Marian moved to a chair behind a desk and took a long moment to center herself. Her right leg was pulled up to her chest while her left foot was on the ground, rotating the chair from side to side.

There was a comfortable quiet around her, having Loki gone brought an ease to her. The constant dance that they had been doing was exhausting, and physically she was tired. And her head ached, along with her stomach. She was certain that she was going to be sick. That was all she could think of at that moment. Not how there was an invasion force on the way, or how she had no idea what SHIELD's game plan was. Just how she was going to lose the contents of her stomach, which consisted of mostly stomach acid as she had not eaten much during the past 12 hours. So she found a waste basket, lined with a plastic bag, as the end of the desk. Getting on her knees just in time before she dry heaved once, then as her body forced her to heave again bitter acid slipped up her esophagus over her tongue an into the basket. Spitting the taste out of her mouth she gasped for new air, "Great, my world is going to be invaded, I've been kidnapped by a madman, and now I've just puked."

"I did not need to know that." her earpiece spoke unexpectedly.

"Stark?" she was surprised that her earpiece did not make a beeping sound before, "Why didn't my earpiece-"

"I hacked its program so that you could give us information without alarming Loki. Its nice to see that you're alive."

"You too, I am at your tower."

"Figured that out awhile back, cutie." his agitated voice rang.

"Who are you talking to dear Marian?" Loki with his silent steps had come back to her, looking up to him she pushed herself off of the floor using the desk to help her along. There were tears in her eyes, but she knew that she could have excused as an effect of her being sick. "You are unwell?"

"Is that Loki?" Stark's voice did not distract her.

"Yeah, my stomach is just a bit off. Must have been the hit on the head, messing me all up." There was a new detachment in her eyes, "And, uh, I was just talking to myself it's a habit."

"Don't worry I'm on my way." Stark's voice informed.

"You lie." the backs of Loki's fingers moved over her jaw, as he flipped the scepter in his hand. Loki raised his scepter to her throat with anger in his eyes once more. Just as he began to press the sharp tip into delicate flesh Stark, clad in his iron suit, zipped by the glass causing it to shake slightly. This had distracted Loki, and he walked away from Marian who watched his feline movements while leaning against the desk. Clarity came over her, and she knew that whatever Loki had said to her was nothing but horse hockey. He was a remorseless man who killed her father, as Stark had just told her and she trusted him, then had slept with her.

BOOM!

The sound had come from the roof, but that did not seem to distract Loki or Stark, who had lowered himself down to a balcony with a round ending. As he walked forward machines disassembled the armour around him. Loki's movements were slow, and confident as he moved to meet Stark. Seeing Stark was a great relief to Marian, and she found herself cowering in his direction.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." Loki half smiled, but looked to Marian as she moved to Stark's side. It was only a moment of confusion before his face settled into an expression of acceptance. Truthfully he knew that she would have not have joined him so easily, if he had just a little while more he might have had her.

"Uh….actually, I'm planning to threaten you." Stark responded.

"You should have left your armor on for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the glow stick of destiny." Marian turned her head to Stark, "Would you like a drink?"

"Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? Marian?" she shook her head no, "You sure? I'm having one."

"Well then I'll take a water." her mouth was void of any moisture, and the acrid taste of her vomit was dancing over her tongue. Bending over he opened a small fridge, then gripped a glass bottle of water and placed it in her hand. It was a bottle of Voss water, expensive only because it came in a glass container. So she flicked the side of the bottle making a pinging noise and teased Stark, "Really Voss?"

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" Loki had taken their attention again, and Marian had screwed open the glass bottle taking a swig of the water.

"The Avengers." he pressed a glass of bourbon to his lips, while Loki looked confused trying to understand what the Avengers were. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's mightiest heroes' type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them." Loki smirked.

"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one." Taking another sip of his bourbon he added up the facts, "But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demiGod; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of live up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins," he gestured to Marian a bit, before pointing to Loki, "and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan."

"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will," under the table Tony pulled out two silver cuffs slipping them onto his wrists, "they'll come for you."

"I have and army."

"We have a Hulk." Stark sharply replied and Loki turned away.

"I thought the beast had wandered off." Stark slid past the bar and Marian tapping her on the right shoulder.

"You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure that we'll avenge it." Marian stood a bit taller as Loki slowly marched towards Stark while raising in scepter.

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" he pressed the tip of his scepter to to Stark's chest.

Ping!

It hit the arch-reactor in his chest, Loki stood astounded when nothing happened and tapped the metal end once again.

Ping!

"This usually works." Loki said when Stark did not bend to his will.

"Well, performance issues. You know?" his voice was drenched in sarcasm, "One in five-" Loki took him by the throat and threw him across the room. "Jarvis. Anytime now." Loki took him by the throat again, Marian moved to help but Stark held up a hand.

"You will all fall before me." Loki roared and tossed him towards the glass windows shattering the material and sending Stark flying down to the streets below. Marian ran out to the balcony. and watched him fall downwards to the streets below. The men and women on the street looked upwards to see the millionaire fall down. Suddenly a red package shot out from behind Loki and knocked him flat onto the ground. The red package followed Stark, it opened up to Stark latching onto his wrists.

'So that's what the bracelets were for.' Marian thought. The red package was his suit, and it curled around him just in time for him to engage the flying mechanism so that he would not splat on the pavement. Then he darted back up the side of the build, and opened the mask so that he could meet Loki's eye.

"An there's one other person you pissed off. His name was Phil." Loki raised his scepter but Stark veered to the side and fired at Loki making him fly back. Into her ear piece Stark asked, "So, beautiful, are ya coming?"

"Marian!" Loki called to her, pleading in a way pulling her closed to him, "I gave you an offer of freedom, do not squander it."

"You killed my father."

"He was not your father. You do not even know who you are…. or what." Marian raised the glass bottle of water and smashed it over his head, the shock of it caused him to release her.

"You're full of shit." dashing towards the circular balcony, she did not stop when she reached the end, but instead leaped off of the edge.


	12. Chapter 12

Falling from such a height did not frighten Marian, the idea of hitting the ground is what made her regret her jump. Yet as she fell she felt the greatest rush, the wind in her hair, an the rushing of her heart. It almost made her forget the hurt of losing her father, those thoughts came rushing back as she saw how close she was to the pavement. Instinctively she crossed her arms over her face, the metal of her arm bands touched her cheek. Thirty-meters above the ground she was caught by Stark, the red metal arms gripping her waist. The speed at which he caught gave her a soreness in her ribs, letting her know that there would be bruises where his arms were.

"Mind if I drop you off here?" Stark asked as he descended to the ground, before she let go of Stark she looked to the sky. Above Stark Tower a dark portal was twirling about, the army of Chitauri was falling through riding aircraft. Then she let go of Stark, falling 30-odd feet to the ground. To prevent further injury she curled herself into a ball, covering her head. Hitting the concrete with the metal braces she slid creating a flurry of sparks behind her. Rotating herself onto her feet the grip of her boots stopped her from sliding any further.

"How are we on backup Stark?" she looked up to him as he hovered close to her.

"I tried to call in an old friend, Colonel James Rupert Rhodes, but he is busy fighting some terrorist group in Hong Kong. But the rest of the gang should be somewhere, or most of it."

"Where?"

"I don't know. And also that doesn't matter since the problem is everywhere." he flew upwards to going towards the portal. Slaughtering the creatures as he went up, and engaging the others. As the beloved Iron Man was attacking these creatures, the citizens of the city were slowly doing away with the pictures they had been snapshotting. Fear was quickly overtaking them and screams soon filled the many blocks of the city. Running about and causing general chaos, Marian was glad to see Thor's red cape in the sky. That feeling of happiness soon left her as the Chitauri began to descend into the street.

Instinctively Marian reached for her gun that usually hung under her arm, only to an empty holster. With a quick movement tossed the empty holster to the ground, knowing that it was then useless to her. A Chitauri soldier raised his weapon towards her, flying in her direction.

"Balls." she spat as it fired its weapon she dove out of the way, but the creature raised its weapon again she cowered back, preparing to dodge another blast. But before the creature cold fire it was promptly shot out of the sky. It's body fell to the ground along with its aircraft.

The source of this, Marian saw, was a Quinjet hanging not too far away from her. As a gesture of gratitude Marian raised two fingers to her brow and gave a small salute. Then the ship turned to fire a multiple Chitauri soldiers, Marian made herself useful by urging citizens away from the scene of the fight all while dodging enemy fire.

Boom!

"Hey!" it was Stark on her earpiece, "Just to let you know Romanoff have arrived."

"I-" she began but was forced to stifle herself as she dodged out of a Chitauri's weapon fire, "I kinda figured that out."

A blue beam had crashed into the Quinjet, right on its wing causing it to viciously vear to the side. Whomever was at the helm landed as gently as they could but that did not prevent it from scraping across the ground with painful scraping sound. The lack of firepower made way for the Chitauri to land on the ground and attack random civilians. Three landed around Marian and began to swipe at her her, she ducked to the ground then swung out her leg tripping two of them. Standing quickly she grabbed onto the arm of the single standing creature, this caused her to be on its back and see a conglomeration of wires at the base of its neck. So without fear she reached into that mess and tore at the many wires. The Chitauri underneath her buckled an fell to its knees, this she saw as good but just as this happened the other two Chitauri were prying themselves off of the ground. Again, she was saved, as they raised their weapons they were shot down.

The Quinjet's ramp had opened while Marian had not been paying attention, upon the ramp stood Romanoff, slowly lowering her pistols. Then Romanoff moved forward to Marian, with Rogers and Barton following. For a moment Marian glared at Barton, then she recalled that her anger was invalid as Loki was nothing but a common liar. Soon he was by her side his hand on her shoulder,

"You alright?" Barton asked and she let her silver eyes linger on him, seeing that he was out from Loki's hold.

"Of course I am. And you, Robin Hood?" she tried to lighten the mood. The NYPD began to organize and fight the Chitauri.

"Better." Barton responded, firing at the Chitauri. Together all four fought trying to protect all the civilians they can. All around them cars were being overturned and storefronts were aflame, "Where are your weapons?"

"They were confiscated by our future overlord." She kicked a Chitauri in what she assumed was its stomach.

ROAR!

"Oh god tell me that was the cowardly lion that found his courage. " Marian looked to the sky, a large worm like creature cast a shadow over the city.

"Would that make Loki the Wicked Witch?" Clint asked.

"Maybe we should pour some water on him." Natasha added as she fired her handguns at the Chitauri and their fly chariots. Marian looked up to the portal to see another large worm like creature slither out.

"That can't be good." The thing began to fly about crashing into buildings, Chitari that had been bound to both of its sides were released and clung to the sides of the building. They fired strange energy rifles at the people on the streets.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" the Captain questioned using his earpiece, Stark had connected her earpiece to the rest of the members it would seem.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing." he zoomed above them firing at the enemy, "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?" Rogers questioned. Marian knew that Banner had morphed into the Hulk, and she assumed that he had gotten himself lost as Loki had said.

"Just keep me posted." he flew towards the large flying creature staying out of its sight. The whole city burned as they fought off the army that they could. They ran to shield themselves from the fire behind crashed taxis, as they looked up and saw that Loki had boarded one of the flying chariots. He had changed into his strange outfit, horns and all; his eyes spied Marian and still in a rage, lifted his scepter and fired a blue energy boalt near her. It hit a car amongst other cars setting off a series of explosions; Clint pushed Marian down, and Rogers held his shield over himself and Natasha. Marian placed her hand on Clint's forearm signaling for him to let her up. The people on the ground saw what the strange man had done and began to flee from him.

"Those people need assistance down there." Rogers said looking down the road where Loki, along with the army was flying.

"We got this. It's good. Go!" Natasha yelled as she reloaded her gun. He looked to Clint,

"You think you can hold them off?'

"Captain." he pushed a button on his bow making his quiver changed his arrows, "It would be my genuine pleasure." He shot an arrow into a creature's head, allowing for Captain to run down the road unharmed but he was still chased by enemy fire and a large explosion. Marian took a moment to look past the fiery explosion to still see him running and dodging all the fighting.

"Damn." Barton shoved something in her hand,

"A butterfly knife? Well it's better than nothing." she swung it around her fingers in and almost artistic way. While she slashed at the creatures that were on the ground Natasha focused on those in the sky, Barton had gone off to loaded bus. He help the small children that were being held out of the windows by parents, and then helped the adults get away from the bus by jerking the jammed door open.

Natasha dropped the empty clips from her pistols, and Clint joined them again after the bus was emptied,

"Just like Budapest all over again!" Natasha commented, Marian didn't understand that reference and and contained to finding on.

"You and I remember Budapest very differently." He fired another arrow into a horde of Chitauri, it landed on one of the flying chariots and exploded causing at least two score to go down. Marian tripped a Chitauri soldier then used the knife to slice it's face in two, Romanoff grabbed one of the creature's arms and took it's weapon and began to fire. Marian made ready to stab at an approaching enemy before she saw that it was the Cap, he held up his hands for a moment before swiping his shield at oncoming Chitauri. It seemed as if they were about to be overrun, they could not last much longer.

Boom! Crack!

Lightning descended from the sky killing the Chitauri that surrounded them, they were blasted back a foot or so, but were able to recover without effort. The Chitauri were not as lucky, as they convulsed wildly before dropping to the ground. Their old friend Thor landed with a boom to the ground,

"What's the story upstairs?" Rogers inquired, wishing to know about the portal.

"The powers surrounding the cube is impenetrable." Over the intercom Stark chimed in

"Thor is right. We gotta deal with these guys."

"How do we do this?" Romanoff did not sound hopeful in anyway.

"As a team." Rogers brought hope to the group, Marian felt compelled to make a joke involving patriotism or America, but she did not have the time to think such an elegant joke through.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor glared to the sky, looking for his brother

"Yeah, get in line." Clint challenged from behind Marian.

"Save it." Rogers commanded, "Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us-" Rogers looked past the group of people in front of him. They all turned slightly to see Dr. Banner driving a motorcycle up to them. He stopped it in the middle of their group, getting off he observed the madness that was taking place in the city.

"So, this all seems horrible." he deducted.

"I've seen worse." Romanoff looked him up and down.

"Sorry…." he looked down to his feet.

"No. We could use a little worse." The Captain pressed his finger to his earpiece,

"Stark? We got him."

"Banner?" he questioned.

"Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you." The unique sound the the Iron Man Suit swung around the corner, behind him came one of the huge worm like creatures. Marian's eyes grew large and the others seemed in shock as well,

"I…" Romanoff began, "I don't see how that a party."

"Stark always has been one for wild parties." Marian reasoned. Iron Man swung downwards to the street and the worm followed him, the creature's belly touchee the street tearing it from the ground. "Though I think he has outdone himself this time."

"Dr. Banner. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry." with an angsty voice Rogers spoke. Banner began to walk forwards before turning around,

"That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry." He faced the worm, and his body began to swell and a green hugh was added to his skin. He grew in size and became the Hulk, raising a fist he crashed it into the face of the worm crumpling the metal armor that it dorned. It's body curve above them, and in that moment Marian could only think of one thing,

"I want my dad."


	13. Chapter 13

As the creature loomed over them Stark raised his arm, releasing a small rocket into the creature's body. Just before the rocket exploded, Thor took Marian by the side to block her from the harmful shrapnel with his large body. What the shrapnel consisted of, as Marian saw after being let up by Thor, was large chunks of sizzling meat. Her stomach burbled again, as the scent of it filled her nose.

"I would like to take this time to announce that I am now a vegan." Marian announced after forcing her stomach to calm, but was soon shaken by the furious roar of the Chitauri army. The death of the flying creature had seemed to anger them. All took this as a threat and readied themselves for another fight, in Marian's right hand she flipped the butterfly knife about.

"Guys." Natasha worriedly called their attention, they turned their eyes to where she was looking. Out of the sky spilled two of the worm creatures and hundreds more Chitauri.

"Call it, Cap." Stark said from Marian's side, with the ease of a great leader Rogers took control.

"Alright, listen up." he ordered, "Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything Call out patterns and strays." Barton gave a quick nod, "Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Wanna give me a lift?" Barton asked Stark.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas." Stark took Barton by the arm and flew up to a high point where he would have an advantage.

"Thor," he grabbed the Asgardian's attention, "you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You've got the lightning. Light the bastards up." Thor swung his hammer round and round letting him fly upwards. Then the Captain's attention turned to Marian and Romanoff, "Romanoff, Coulson, you-two with me, and Hulk?" the large green mockery of a man turned around to see Rogers pointing upwards, "Smash." Upon hearing his favorite word the Hulk smiled then bounced to a building and began to to what he loved.

Marian focused herself at the Chitauri coming for her on the street, and knowing that she could not overpower many with the small knife she possessed, she took the weapon of a fallen Chitauri soldier. It was a system that was not at all too hard to learn, and soon Romanoff followed as she had a lack of bullets for his pistols. Though before Marian could fire at one of the Chitauri took her by the legs, tossing her to the ground. The creature's weapon has been lost, as well as its battle mask, this allowed for it to attempt to bite at her neck. To prevent its teeth from sinking into her jugular vein, Marian's arm was braced flat against its chest pushing it away. In an quick, and sudden motion, Marian reached to the back of its neck to tear away at its wires. For a moment it seized then fell flat on top of her, leaving her to heave the corpse off of her body. Flopping flat onto her back to take a moment for herself, Marian unknowingly drew the attention of the Captain, whom loomed over her before offering her his hand, again having the strange look of recognition within his eyes. She took his outstretched hand and was soon standing tall, fiering the strange weapon at random targets that flew by.

"Captain," breathed Romanoff as she crouched down to the ground, "none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it." he responded. Marian followed Romanoff's eyes to the flying chariots.

"Well," Romanoff pondered, as Rogers saw where she was looking, "maybe it's not about guns."

"You wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride."

"I got a ride. I could use a lift though." Romanoff stood, Marian looked at her as she were insane, but ket silent and watched as Rogers angled his shield.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked giving her an opportunity to cop-out.

"Yeah." she shrugged, "It's gonna be fun." she ran towards him jumped onto the shield, Rogers then pushed his shield upwards. This sent Romanoff flying up allowing her to grab onto the back of a passing Chitauri chariot.

"Marian!" Rogers yelled before throwing his shield in her direction, she jumped out of the way to see the shield slash into one of the creatures.

"Thanks, Cap." He grabbed his shield then yanked her up, and sung her around so she could kick an attacking Chitauri. Then she was released upon the ground and slid, using the metal braces to her advantage and avoiding scraping her skin, a fallen Chitauri's weapon was there before her and she snatched it up. While Marian was annihilating multiple Chitauri using their own weapon Stark had come back their way. Off of the Captain's shield, Stark blasted a beam of energy, this bounced off of the metal taking down a squadron of Chitari. Down the street Humvees with .50 Cal guns mounted on their backs began to shoot in the sky.

"National Guard?" Rogers asked Marian.

"Yeah, I think they got this street down." Marian looked at the multiple Chitauri they shot down.

"Captain, the bank on 42nd past Madison," Hawk got their attention, "they caught a lot of civilians there."

"I'm on it." he secured his shield, "You got this?"

"Of course I do, Golden Boy. This is not my first rodeo."

"Well if I need you-"

"Whistle."

"Whistle?"

"You do know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?" In a low halfway seductive voice she quoted Lauren Bacall's iconic line from the 1940s movie To Have and Have Not, "You just put your lips together and blow."

"Whoot whoo." he wolf whistled at her showing that he in fact did know how to whistle. Then with a small salute he ran off to 42nd street.

* * *

Marian fought for some time before seeing another member of her team, that just so happened to be Stark. Unfortunately she saw him just as he was flying into the mouths of one of the worm creatures, then going all the way through an out the other side. It then fell to the ground, while Stark had begun to roll down the street. As he landed in front of her Marian gagged slightly,

"You're not going to help me up?"

"Not after you flew out of that thing's as-" she looked up to see a large band of Chitauri running towards them,

"What are you looking at?" he turned himself over, "Oh." the creatures raised their weapons. Marian raised the Chitauri weapon, and stepped over Stark,

"I got this, Baby Doll." She fired at the crowd of aliens, every shot made its mark. Stark looked at her impressed and took her by the ankle,

"My knight in shining catsuit, carry me back to your kingdom where we can be married and live happily ever after."

"Focus Stark." Jiggling his hands off of her, he had to pick himself up.

"Bye honey, see you at dinner." Stark called out before his mask shut. Barton had very few arrows left, he used one of his remaining arrows as a grappling hook. As he jumped off of the building he held onto his bow, the way he swung led him into the broken window of a building.

"Stark!" Director Fury's voice came from her earpiece, "You hear me? We have a missile headed straight for the city."

"How long?" Stark questioned

"Three minutes, at best. Stay low and wipe out the missile." Marian fought off three soldiers and press onto her earpiece, worried about the missile coming their way.

"Stark? You got this?"

"Certainly. You still have to carry me off into the sunset my fearless knight." Marian rolled her eyes and began to fight off another wave of Chitauri before placing her finger back on her earpiece,

"Captain. Where are you located?"

"I'm still on 42nd, with Thor. You can't miss us." Marian threw the alien weapon down and began to run to 42nd Street. Along the way she fought off many creatures, tearing off their energy units and disarming them. Soon Marian reached 42nd street, slightly out of breath, but still able to fight.

"Marian, daughter of Coulson." Thor called to her, almost greeting her with open arms. "How goes the battle?"

"There is a missile headed this way. Stark says that he has it down."

"When will it arrive?" Rogers asked.

"Less than three minutes." Seeing a beam of weapons fire coming for Rogers she grabbed him, pulling him down to the ground, his shield had embedded itself into the ground near her head. The blue beam had gone into the side of a car, while saving the Captain from any physical injury he had landed on top of her in an awkward fashion. "Sorry Sir."

"Saving my life does not require a sorry." Thor helped the Captain to his feet, who in turn helped Marian.

"Are you ready for another bout?" the Thunder God asked.

"What? You gettin' sleepy?" Rogers panted.

"Honestly yes." Marian slumped herself against Thor's arm.

"Come Daughter of Coulson, fight for vengeance." popping her neck after Thor's encouraging words, she had another surge of anger. Then side by side with Thor and Captain America she fought, one after the other the Chitauri fell. Though Marian was saving a large dose of anger for Loki.

"I can close it! Can anybody hear me?" Rogers's and Coulson's earpieces rang, "I can shut the portal down!"

"Do it!" Rogers shouted.

"No, wait!" Stark yelled right into Marian's ear.

"Stark, these things are still coming!" Rogers responded.

"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute. An I know just where to put it." Marian shrugged at Stark's reasoning,

"Pretty good place to put it." Over the city they saw him go with a large missile above his head, in his hands. He tilted himself up to the portal.

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?" the Captain asked only to receive no reply. Stark simply flew up into the dark portal, it felt as if the whole of the city held their breath in that moment. Suddenly all around them the whole army fell down to their knees, shaking and crying out. Then they were unresponsive. And while all looked upwards waiting to see Stark some back, but nothing happened.

"Come on, Stark….." Natasha whispered

"Close it." Marian turned to Rogers in shock, after he gave the order. Within seconds the hole in the sky closed, turning the sky around it back to blue. When it was just a small dot something fell through,

"Son of gun!" a smiling Rogers spoke,

"Mother fuc-" stopping halfway through the word, she saw the looks that the two men were giving her. They then turned their attention back to a free falling Stark.

"He's not slowing down." Thor began to swing his hammer about, trying to take off but before he could the Hulk came out of nowhere and grabbed Stark in his arms. Together they smashed into a building, Hulk grabbed onto the side and slid down then jumped to where Marian, Rogers, and Thor stood. Hulk landed on his back with Stark on his chest, his green hands then shoved the suited man off of him to the road.

The trio ran over to Stark who was limp on the ground, Thor leaned down and tore the face off of the Iron Man suit. Marian leaned over to him to see if she could hear if he was breathing, she lifted her eyes up when she heard no sound. A frown worked its way to her lips.

"ROARRRRR!" the Hulk went behind her causing her to cringe her shoulder in wards.

"Ah! What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?" he said after coming back from his death, then looked to Marian, "Unless it was her, if it was her tell me now." Marian smiled and laughed a little bit, rolling on the ground to lay about a foot away. A second later the Captain answered,

"We won."

"Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day." he exhaled then twisted his head around to each person, "Have you ever tried Shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it." Rogers twisted his head to the Stark Tower,

"We're not finished yet."

"And then Shawarma after." Thor moved over to to Marian on the ground, offered his hand.

"Might I escort you to the tower, m'lady" Marian raised her eyebrows and smirked while casting her hand to take his,

"Why does she get escorted." a snooty Stark asked, Thor wrap his left arm about Marian's torso and she had placed her arms about him,

"Hate to break the news to you, beautiful, but it's because I'm prettier." Marian felt a throaty chuckle beneath her fingers in the chest of Thor, as he began to swing his hammer. Over the wind in her ears the engine of the Iron Man suit. In his metal clad hands were Barton and the Captain.

Thor landed on the balcony of the Stark tower, the Hulk had climbed up the building's side. Stark had dropped the Captain and Clint off on the balcony as well, then strutted in through the broken windows. Romanoff had found her way to the penthouse from the roof.

As Loki was crawling out of a crater onto a set of nearby steps he was surrounded by all of them. Marian looked him up and down, it was obvious that the Hulk had got to him, he was all scratched up and bruised. With Barton on the forefront with his last arrow poised at the place in between Loki's eyes. Loki looked up and spoke,

"If it's all the same to you. I'll have that drink now."


	14. Chapter 14

The elevator opened and out spilled SHIELD agents armed to the teeth. Marian relaxed her shoulders, and joined her hands together behind her back after tossing the Chitauri weapon to the side. The agents took Loki roughly and restrained him, his eyes caught Marian's but she looked away as he was forced into the elevator. The Hulk collapsed onto the floor, unconscious; Marian touched Barton's arm that was still poised where Loki had been, encouraging him to aim the weapon elsewhere.

"I think Stark said something about food?" she smiled.

"I did," he turned to the shrinking Hulk on the floor, "but, I think someone is going to have to get Banner some pants first. And then we're gonna get you to a medic, something is wrong with you did you get hit in the head."

"Well actually Loki did hit my head and, wait what do you mean by pants?" she jerked her head around, catching a flash of Banner she turned back around, "Oh." She pursed her lips, and looked to Clint, her lips unfolded into a smile. The others were scrambling about trying to find Banner some clothes, Stark believed that he could have a pair in one of the rooms that occupied the penthouse.

"It's good to have you back, Agent." She addressed Clint, half a smile on her face.

"You too." he stood to meet her eyes on an equal level, showing that he felt sympathy for her. This made her recall a depressing detail of the day, and Clint seemed as he was about to inform her of what she already knew.

"Let me stop you before you begin because I already know what happened. And believe me I don't need the details right now, I'll read the report later."

"He was a goo-"

"Don't," she held her hand up, "I'm going to have to hear that garbage for the next few days. I certainly don't want to start hearing it now."

"Do you need help with the funeral?"

"No, I can handle it. He already has a plot, I'm sure Fury has already started the arrangements. I need to contact his girlfriend, Audrey Nathan."

"He was dating?"

"Yeah, though I doubt she knows anything about me."

"I found the pants!" Stark cried out, dashing towards that rather bare Banner.

"Best news of the day." Marian mumbled, turning her head aside as banner slid into the dark jeans provided, then into a shirt that Stark had found. Clinking her metal covered palms together she said, "Now, Shawarma."

"No, now medic." Stark said as he took her by the arm, trying to lead her into the elevator. Remembering what she had witnessed last time she was in the elevator, she yanked her arm away.

"I'm gonna take the stairs."

"You afraid of elevators?" he asked as the doors to the elevator opened, letting ashes be seen, "What the hell did he do to my elevator?"

"Murdered some folks in it, and that is them or what is left of them." Lazily pointing her finger towards the door. Stark scrunched his face then muttered something about workmen that were in the elevator, and now this.

"Well, once we get down, I think that they are going to want to talk to us." Rogers announced looking down to the street where many SHIELD agents were, along with medics. This caused Marian to huff, she despised being debriefed and hoped that she would be overlooked due to her not technically being an agent any longer. These thoughts were diminished as she glanced to her side, seeing Barton arming his last arrow with a grappling hook.

"Hey Clint!" She called loudly to get his attention, "Can you give a girl a ride?"

"I second that." Romanoff called, swinging over. Barton flinched when she came near with the scepter, but soon readjusted himself and fired his arrow to the building on the other side.

"Just hold on tight." Marian and Romanoff secured themselves to either side of him as he fastened the string of the arrow to his bow.

"Why does he get to take the women?" Stark mumbled before they went over the edge. Marian tightened her grip on Barton as he swung down to the street corner across the Stark Tower. They ran across the street to the SHIELD agents in front of the building, Loki was being placed in the back of a heavily armed truck. Marian looked to one of the car that she arrived to the city with, it was flipped over an in an awkward place in the road. She thought of her father and her last words to him,

_'Yes Sir.'_

Like a good little soldier, he was the one person that she wished for the approval of, she was sure that she had it. But he never told her. Analyzing her last moment with her father she thought of the paper that he handed to her, how she folded it and put it into her bra.

"We need to get you to a medic." Clint said to her, noticing her dizzied look.

"I'm fine, others need attention more than I do, I'll wait my turn." she picked her head up and saw a look of disapproval, "I'm a grown woman who can make her own choices and don't you dare try to change that."

BOOM!

Thor landed to the left of them in the center of the street, this was a shock to Marian as she was still full of adrenalin from the battle. Then she casted her eyes upwards looking to see if Stark was on his way.

"So who is debriefing us?"

"No one, as of now." Natasha informed, "And technically, you are not actually an agent. Fury just called you back in as an adviser in effect you won't have to be debriefed unless multiple forms are filled out."

"Well let's go get food." she responded to Romanoff, after she noticed Stark and Banner. Both who were now dressed rather casually, Banner having pants on and Stark out of his metal suit.

"What about the medic?" questioned Stark as he had heard her rather well from a rather lengthy distance.

"Food first. Besides, I won't get any assistance right now, they're all too busy right now." Not listening to the complaints she simply began to walk away till Stark instructed that the Shawarma restaurant was in the opposite direction.

* * *

After they got their orders they sat around a table in silence, Marian sat between Stark and Thor. Their food was delivered, and turned out shawarma was basically meat and vegetables in a wrap. They sat in silence while they at, and eventually just ended up sitting there staring off into empty space thinking about what just happened.

Stark leaned over to one of the gumball machines that you could buy small bouncy balls. Placing 50 cents in the coin slots he turned the crank, then began to bounce his new to off of the floor.

Then again and again creating an annoying sound till Marian snatched it in mid-air. Standing she walked around the table and threw it out of the broken window, then turned around and sat down. Then making a spot clear on the table for herself she laid her head down. But before she drifted off to sleep Stark poked her on the bruises located on her ribs, violently waking her up,

"You probably have a concussion. I don't think you should go to sleep." His voice was almost gentle, "Don't wanna fall asleep and never wake up again."

"In truth that actually sounds kinda nice."


	15. Chapter 15

"Hey, blue eyes" Tony shook her again, "I said no sleeping, also we're leaving."

"I think I should get this looked at." she murmured, finally feeling all of the day's pains come onto her body. Her hand felt as if she had been shattered as well, "I must have done something to it during the fight."

"I thought I taught you to never hit with a closed fist." Clint said.

"I occasionally forget."

"I put a cast on it for you, if the medics have the supplies." Banner stumbled on,

"That's okay, you seem dead tired. I'll go find a medic."

"I'll go with." Tony followed Marian back to Stark Tower, many of the others followed as well mind Thor who just jumped ahead. "Where's Loki?"

"The SHIELD agents have him in that van over there, I don't think they will be taking him anywhere. Most likely because they want all of you guys to keep an eye on him."

"Don't you mean all of us, sweetheart, you're an Avenger now." Soon the some of the medics were in sight,

"Hey," she called out, "do you guys have someone that could help me with a broken hand." A nervous new recruit was the one to answer her,

"Yes Sir-I mean Ma'am." Marian's eyebrows raised and she smirked making the recrute squirm, "I mean Agent, I'll go get someone." she looked at the boy,

"Kid, calm down I'm just another agent." he scurried off and she looked to Stark, "I'm not an Avenger, in fact I think I'm just going to go home after this. Be permanently retired."

"Yeah, right." Stark rolled his eyes, "That's what you're going to do, don't wanna solve this mystery about that mission in Cal-no-one-gives-a-damn."

"I don't think that truthfully matters." she smoothly lied.

"Well, maybe I can talk you into accepting a job."

"As what? What could I possibly do? Sit around and look pretty as you save the world. I will be happy with my little life, away from all of...whatever you would call this." The medic led her to a truck where a mobile medical lab rested, all the while Stark followed along,

"You'll come back, people like you always do, it could be a day, a month, a year or ten. But people like you always find themselves in situations like this, I would know I am one of them. I am going to rent a couple of rooms in the Palace Hotel for everyone, should I get a room for you?"

"Yeah…" she climbed up the short steps of the medical truck and was instructed to sit down on a chair as the medic put on gloves.

The shattered hand was x-rayed and set in a black brace. Minor cuts and bruises were treated,

"No concussion." murmured the medic with a blinding light shining in her silver eyes, pulling the flashlight he started with his condolences about her father only to be cut off by another agent, one of the two that were guarding Loki,

"Agent, me and a few of the guys were wondering if you would like a moment alone with Loki, we'll turn off the cameras."

_'Rookie'_  she thought, "Have you ever read the Dhammapada?"

"No?" the voice was quiet and drawn out into a question.

"You should read it. It is a collection of verses that the Buddha, according to legend, answered to majority dealing with ethics. In one verse, if you read the translation by Dr. Friedrich Max Müller, it says,  _'_ _For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time:Hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.'_ " A long silence followed these words and the agent seemed in a state of consternation.

"I…."

"Loki and I have nothing to say to each other, I have nothing to say to him. He is a little man, with some daddy-issues who wasn't hugged enough as a child that decided to throw a temper tantrum of epic proportions. He has a few issues that won't get resolved by people just showing him hatred. Now do I like him, no. But am I going to waste my time bashing his prominent cheekbones in, fuck no.." those silver eyes rolled around as she shook her head. "Ow!" her head snapped down to her left thigh where a syringe was sticking out of it, "What-what that shit?"

"Something a little stronger than morphine, for the pain.." the medic coolly explained then moved away from her to tend to the rest of the wounded.

"I should have let Banner treat me." she sleepily grumbled, "You," she pointed to the recruit who got her the medic, "can you please go get one of the-" her mouth spilled out a yawn.

"Avengers?" he finished for her only to receive a lazy nod from Marian.

"Please." Stumbling, she awkwardly made her way to the edge of the truck. A wave of dizziness settled upon her when she saw the stairs that led down and out of the truck and put her good hand on the roof of the truck to steady herself. The world spined, Marian closed her silver eyes and her knees faltered, and she slipped forward into rock solid arms.

"Easy soldier."

"Rogers?" the letters of his name slurred together, "Great to see you, the medic gave me something for the pain. Which is weird because it didn't hurt that much." The majority of her weight was being supported by the Captain.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Clint." Marian smiled and laughed then straightened her face, "I really want breakfast food."

"The doc. gave her something. And, Marian, we just ate." He talked to her like a father to a child. But she ignored it looking up to the Captain.

"My dad, used to make me waffles in with a waffle iron in the shape of your shield. It had the star and everything." Every embarrassing moment then faded away in Marian's eyes, and she felt herself in large arms as he legs failed her. But she did not know where she was going off to, and she did not care. For the moment nothing hurt, and she had slipped off into a dreamy realm of blue calm.


	16. Chapter 16

A fresh crisp scent of clean sheets filled the air, it was cold causing Marian to shake awake. Rolling from her side onto her back, she cracked her knuckles on her good hand before she even opened her eyes. When she finally opened her eyes the light of multiple buildings and fires still burning poured through a window on her far right.

There room she was in was large, with a television across from the bed that she rested upon, a table stood by the window with a lamp and bowl of fruit upon it. Two side tables were on either side of of the bed. There were lamps on both of the table, she decided to turn on the lamp to the right of her.

She was all alone in the room, still dressed in her torn and dirt stained uniform. Luckily for her someone had left her large duffel bag stuffed full of her things. So she tossed off all of her things, except for the one metal braces that had been removed so her arm could be put into a sling. It felt good to be out of the metallic uniform. Then she striped even further then began to look for the bathroom that was assured to be in the hotel room. She found it joined to the bedroom through a large empty closet. Then she walked into the glass shower and turned on the water allowing herself to be cleansed of the day.

She scrubbed her skin and scratched the grime off of her scalp. Then she used the small bottle of shampoo into her blonde hair and thoroughly cleaned out everything. But eventually she forgot the purpose of the shower and just sat on the ground, her back against the glass. The warm water slid over her skin, settling in her prominent collar bones and got caught in her eyelashes.

There on the tile floor, she thought of her father and of everything that had happened in the past two days. And it exhausted her, looking down at the crook of her arm she saw a small bruise, as if someone had taken her blood. She did not remember getting her blood taken, then again she did not remember much after that damned paramedic jabbed her in the leg and flooded her blood with morphine. Though to be honest she didn't mind the morphine and the rest it provided her with. It had made her mind go to sleep and for that she was grateful. Looking again at the bruise in the crook of her arm she thought it was strange, but remembered that she was covered in bruises and excused it.

Turning her thoughts back to her father, she tried to not feel too sad. Him dying early was something that she expected, and she expected herself to die young as well. It was a downside of being an Agent of SHIELD. Afterall it was dangerous work, but she had never thought that his sudden absence would have affected her this much. He was not the best of fathers, in her opinion. That was just because he had been busy keeping the world safe, and she supposed that was a good cause. But she did wish that he had been around more often so that she was able to have more memories. He was her father and was practically a stranger, and now she would never know him. That was something that she would have to accept now that he was gone, but she knew that was perhaps one of the most difficult things that she was going to have to do.


	17. Chapter 17

Marian laid awake the rest of the night, staring out of the windows down at the chaos. SHIELD was working tirelessly to clean up the mess caused by the battle. The sun was rising, letting light into the room, illuminating the room. Quietly she went out into the living room of the hotel, she had never stayed at a hotel that had so much space. But then again she shouldn't be surprised, it was Stark that booked the hotel.

"Soon it will be just me again." she breathed, her eyes morphed into crescent moons. This was the truth for her, and it did not sadden her, she had always enjoyed being alone. With a meandering manner, she began to look about the room. Before she could look any further past the living room she heard someone approach the door. Being a paranoid person, she went silently to her room and grabbed a gun from her bag.

She raised herself onto the balls of her feet and poised the weapon to the ground. Her feet swung with ease making no noise on the wooden floor that rested beneath her. With ease she moved around the corner to the door, beneath it she could see the shadow of a person's legs, just before they could knock Marian swung open the door.

"Thats one hell of a goodmorning." Marian lowered her gun,

"Sorry Captain. It's just waking up in a strange place throws a person off." she opened the door and moved herself out of the way, letting him into the room. "What are you doing up at this time."

"Habit, from the old army days. Up before the break of dawn."

"And the army keeps rolling along." she sang and walked around him, "Do you want some coffee, I think that there is some coffee in this kitchen."

"Kitchen? Stark must like you, he got me one of the smaller suits." She opened the door to the kitchen and found what she expected. Just like in every hotel, there was a coffee maker with the supplies to make coffee along with a sink to get the water necessary.

"So what brings you here at this fine hour?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to get those waffles you talked about."

"Oh, yeah-Im sorry about that." she smiled and he smiled back for a moment "Well how's everyone doing?"

"Everyone is fine. Just to let you know Stark wants to re-hire you as his secretary. I think he really likes you."

"Yeah, I'm never going to work for him again. I've been there done that, and I am not going to be that man's secretary ever again. Whenever his girlfriend Pepper was gone I basically just became a glorified babysitter."

"There are worse jobs"

"I sincerely doubt it, that man is a narcissistic maniac. But I do oddly admire him."

"Well what are you planning on doing, now that all of this is done."

"My dad wanted me to meet his girlfriend, so I guess I'll do that. Then- I don't know. What about you?"

"In the long term, keep working for SHIELD, in the short term, getting breakfast." for a moment he smirked. "So, do you want to come."

"Sounds good to me."


	18. Chapter 18

Marian and Steve walked slowly through Manhattan, eyeing the destruction all the way. SHIELD had a good grip on that already. It already seemed cleaner, but the civilians were still in a state of shock. Meandering about the streets, some searching for loved ones, others helping with the cleanup. Both Marian and Steve kept their heads down, not wanting to be recognized by any of the people who might have seen them.

"How many people do you think were lost?"

"Too many." Steve respond to Marian, "Mostly civilians, then the police force, and National Guard. And of course your fath-"

"Please," her voice rose in a panic, "I don't want to think about that." she readjusted her hand while in the bend of his arm.

"I'm sorry Miss." they were reaching the outskirts of the destruction. A lot of people were looking at the wreckage that littered the streets. There were a few cabs on the street slowly passing by, as the drivers also wished to look upon the horror. No one really minded Marian or Steve as they walked with their heads down.

"Let's take a cab." Marian used her influence on Steve's arm to guide him to the side of the street. Then stepping off the side of curb she waved her hand ever so slightly and a driver who was going slowly down the street pulled over. Being a gentleman Steve open her door. After they both settled in the drive asked,

"Where to?"

"Just drive us to Brooklyn, we'll get off once you get us across the bridge." The car lurched forward and went into drive,

The driver turned up the radio slowly, out poured the news of the events of yesterday. Every station was calling it 'The Battle of New York.' A simple yet accurate title, while the whole of this news was going on, the interview with the survivors, and the families of the not so fortunate. Throughout the ride, while listening to this, the two passengers shared meaningful, yet awkward, glances. The car zipped over the bridge, which was quite surprising considering that the streets were usually clogged with traffic. Just after the bridge the car pulled over to a convenient spot. Steve pulled out a simple brown wallet, readying to pay the driver, it was a small amount of 10 dollars. Seeing how there was little traffic it took less time and the meter did not have a long time to run. Steve handed him a 20 and told him to keep the change.

"You grew up here, right?"

"Yeah. But here doesn't seem like the same place though, it's so different from what I remember."

"It's the same place, but it's changed so much that it might as well not be." The streets were mostly empty here, everyone was staying inside, or had gone down to Manhattan to mourn the losses that many of the city had faced.

"Exactly."

"What do you miss the most?"

"I don't know yet, there is so much-"

"So much what?"

"Just so much." All Marian could do was smile in agreement. This was a very different time from the past, so much had come about, "It's not as bad as if could have been. We were told by Howard Stark that we would have flying cars."

"We have his flying son, that would make up for the lack of flying cars if he wasn't such a sarcastic jerk."

"Yeah." Steve laughed and slapped her hand lightly, that still resided in the crook of his arm, "Stark's an ass. But I will give it to him, he does have quite the brain, inventing all these marvelous things."

"Just not a flying car."

"Seeing how people drive nowadays, I believe that it is for the better." Then they walk in silence for some time, the only thing that toyed with the silence was when Steve saw some place that he recognized. Soon after he spoke of the place and its significance to him the air would become heavy and the silence thickened one more. Eventually morning was on the verge of becoming the afternoon and the two made their way back to one of the main roads where at least one taxi was sure to be.

The ride was longer than the last, everyone was coming out of the haze of confusion. They were mobbing the streets of the island of Manhattan, as soon as they crossed the bridge Steve and Marian agreed that it would be better to walk.

"So how's the hand?" he asked starting the conversation.

"Sore, but I've had worse." she breathed. The cab moved away after receiving the money, and they began the long walk to the hotel. There were people walking alongside them, going to the site of the battle, all were in mourning. Some with flowers and others with candles with glass holders that had the saints painted upon them.

Eventually they stumbled into a diner. It was a hipster joint, and filled with strangely dressed collage kids that made Steve give them odd looks. Their brightly colored hair, tattooed skin, and stretched ears was an oddity that he had only seen in pictures of freak shows. Thought he quickly just accepted it as another quirk of this century and sat down. The waitress took their order and for most of the meal they sat in silence, eating their meals and drinking their coffee. But then Steve began,

"Your father," he reached into his pant's pocket, "would probably want you to have these, they seemed important to him." He took her left hand from the crook of his arm and placed a set Captain America collector cards bound together with an elastic.

"My father's cards. He treasured these things." she slowed down, while holding them close to her. Unknown to her he had cleaned the blood off of them the night before.

"He had them in his pocket when Loki-"

"Oh-" her head fell to look at the box, "Would you mind signing them?" he pressed his hand to her back, meant to urge her along as well as comfort her.

"Not at all." He smiled with his eyes. Looking around at a girl who had bright pink hair and a septum piercing. And he furrorwed his brows in confusion then murmured, "There are somethings that I don't think I'll ever get used to."

Every person was talking about what had happened, some of them were consumed by sorrow others with themselves and how this affected them in minor ways. The blatant selfishness of some of them disgusted her, but she was just happy that they were so consumed by themselves that they did not recognize either her or Steve. While she might not be the most recognizable person, Steve was. He was a hero from the 40s who somehow came back from the dead, now that was someone that the people would have an interest in. Running her finger over the rough edges of the cards she continued to walk on, and think of her father and of Loki. But more importantly, of herself.

Was what Loki showed her true, or was the silver mist that emanated from her flesh all but an allusion. Loki had been able to create tricks that could fool even the most perceptive of a person. But the beach felt so real and she tasted the salt in the air. How could it have been an allusion?

"Marian?" Steve caught her attention, "You seem to be thinking might hard about something."

"Its nothing important, I was just thinking about the funeral. I've never had to arrange one."

"If you would like any help."

"I wouldn't want to burden anyone."

"It would be no burden. I had to plan my mother's funeral alone. I made it through it though, mainly because I had help from a friend."

"Who? If I might ask."

"James Barnes. Or Bucky as everyone called him."

"One of the Howling Commandos, I know them all. My dad being such a big fan and all. When I was young I used to think he was hot."

"Yeah, he was quite the ladies man." he looked down at his feet and seemed to grow sorrowful.

"And you weren't?"she asked in a joking manner looking him up and down. The sides of his face became slightly red.

"Not really…" he trailed off.

They paid their individual bills, thought Steve attempted to pay for her her failed. They they took a cab as far as they could to the hotel, but eventually traffic was stopped and they got out and walked the rest of the way to the hotel that was not all too far away.

Soon they were standing across the street from the hotel. The truck that contain Loki was parked in front, and Thor was busy placing a muzzle over his mouth to keep his silver tongue silent. Loki had caught sight of her and with his eyes gave her a smile, knowing that he could not use his mouth. Thor had also placed some sort of Asgardian restraints on his wrists so that he had no chance of escape. When the muzzle was tight and secure, Thor without words threw his brother into the back of the truck and slammed the doors. Even when he was being cast into the truck his eyes did not leave Marian's. Steve noticed this silent interaction

"Why did he take you?"

"I'm still confused to why he did that." the lie slipped through her lips with ease, the truth was Loki wanted to take her to use her what ever power he thought she had.

"Did he…hurt you?"

"I don't think he would ever have hurt me." she thought, looking to the armored truck. Looking up to the handsome man she smirked, "Would you like to get a drink with me Mr. Rogers?"


	19. Chapter 19

The windows of the bar were shattered, though the glass itself had been swept up rather quickly. No boards had been placed over the windows yet, which could be a bad thing as people, no matter the situation would steal. Marian and Steve sat at the bar waiting for any sign of a bartender, but it was obvious within a few seconds that no one was coming.

"I guess we have to help ourselves." Marian said using her good hand to hop over the the wide wooden bar.

"Do you think you should wait for someone."

"I think they gave the barkeep the day off, and if they are really so upset about us having one drink then they can come after me later on." looking under the bar on the shelves she searched for a set of broken glasses. Finding two small glasses she then took a bottle of whiskey from the back of the bar, "I hope whiskey is fine with you, if not I can get you some scotch."

"Whiskey is fine, not that it matters much though. I can't-"

"Get drunk, I know. But hey this is good whiskey." she poured two fingers of whiskey in each glass. "I hope no ice is okay."

"I was in Europe for a long while, you get used to not having ice in your drinks. They insist it tastes better."

"Well I must disagree with that." They clinked their glasses together and downed half of their drinks.

"There you two are." A cheerful Stark said, "What have you two been up to?"

"How are you so happy?" Marian said.

"Firstly, we just won a battle against unbeatable odds and two...alcohol."

"You are shit-faced aren't you."

"And you're beautiful." He leaned on to the bar getting close to her, "So do you wanna come to dinner with me tonight? And before you think i'm taking you on a date relax, Dr. Banner is coming too."

"I would love to sweetheart but I don't have anything to wear."

"That's your only reason? Because if so I'll get you a dress, I'll get you whatever."

"Because I'm pretty?"

"Pretty much. So what type of dress do you want, I'm thinking something tight." Pushing himself away from the bar he almost danced out of the room, "See you at seven."

"I guess I'm going to dinner." Marian rolled her silver eyes, and half smiled at Steve. This was actually a dent in her plans. In truth she was going to try to sneak out in the early morning, but a night out with Tony would mostly end up with her not making it back to the hotel till the time she wanted to leave at.

It would be a surprise to some that she would leave, especially after all of the funeral talk, but her father would have understood. If she wanted to drop off the grid she would have to do it soon before they had found any information on what happened between her and Loki, or the information that her father had given her. But perhaps she could wait another day.


	20. Chapter 20

The room was strangely cold when Marian wandered in, she tried to make her way to the thermostat to raise the temperature, but stumbled over something near the door. If she did not make a quick turn to the wall and let her back crash against she would have gone face first into the floor. Her left hand searched for the light switch, when she found it she looked down on the floor for the search of the trouble. Though she found nothing and contributed it to a moment of uncharacteristic moment of clumsiness.

She murmured through her teeth a swear or two, then slammed the still open door and took the bag with her good hand, leaving her keys and the freshly signed Captain America cards on the small table by the door. It felt a bit heavier than she remembered, but she brushed that off and threw it on the couch.

Marian took to looking out the window, and thought of what was to come. SHIELD had done a quick job of cleaning up the city, all signs of the battle would be gone by the end of the week. That means that she would only have to be here for a week longer before she could get the hell out of dodge.

She let her head fall backward as her breath left her, and her eyes fell with her head. As she stood there a peace came over her, it was akin to the sudden stillness before a battle or a vicious storm. Deciding that it was time for a distractions he went in search of the remote next to the remote to the TV, and for one of her pistols.

The pistol was easy to find, finding the remote was a tad difficult. But she eventually found it on the windowsill near the television. Over the next few minutes she flicked through the channels before settling on a local news channel, and began to listen to what people thought about the events of yesterday afternoon. All of the mourning people who had lost sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, mothers and fathers. The amount of death sickened her, what sickened her more was her inability to show her feelings. It must make her seem like a monster.

Not being able to take the accountings of the battle she pressed numerous buttons before she successfully changed the channel. She flipped through them once again, finding a Star-Trek marathon she stayed her finger on the button. It was the original series with Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, it was cheesy and wonderful in the best of ways.

She knew that the show had first been written as a medium for a discussion about real world issues. Its diverse cast was rare back then when everyone was white. There was an African American woman who was not playing a maid, which was rare in the 1960s. The show even had the first interracial kiss, between Uhura, the African American woman, and Captain Kirk. It got the show canceled because the entire south blacked out the show during the kiss and its ratings plummeted. And that was a pity in her opinion.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

After about an hour or so of watching television someone knocked on her door. Begrudgingly she dragged herself to the door, .

"Who could it be now?" She rolled her eyes and looked through the peephole, "Just room service." she muttered while opening the door and smiling.

"Good afternoon, Miss." he put forward a dress bag attached to a hanger that dangled from his fingers and a number of jewelry boxes that were balanced atop a shoebox, "Mr. Stark wanted me to deliver this to you." She took the box from his arms,

"Thank-you." she took her wallet from the table by the door and pulled out a five and gave it to him, "Have a good evening." She smiled once more and eased the door closed,

"You as well Miss." the man said before the door was completely closed. She took everything into the bedroom.

"That was awfully fast." she said thinking about how Tony got this to her so quickly. But knowing him he had this whole thing planned out. "Whatcha got for me this time Tony?" she unzipped the dress bag to see what was inside. The dress was gorgeous in every way, with gold patterns at the top swirling down to the bottom, fading into a gossamer fabric. It alluded to the style in the 1920s America, a time period where alcohol was illegal and in abundance. The women pushed the limits on society, and everything was bigger and brighter than before.

Marian opened the jewelry boxes to find matching pieces that Tony had gotten from Tiffany's, as the Tiffany Blue of the boxes told her. The shoes matched the dress, and the heel on them was at least five inches. She took one of the heels in her hand and spun it around, thinking about how much her feet were going to hurt,

"The price of beauty is always pain." before returning the the bathroom she spotted a bottle among the many boxes Tony had sent up. Upon closer inspection it was a bottle of hair toner and a few other supplies that would assist in someone bleaching their hair. Stark had done this as an allude to the wig she wore when she was chosen to spy on him. Throwing his joke to the side she looked down at the expensive dress.


	21. Chapter 21

The sun had gone down and it was almost 8:30, Marian had grown both hungry and impatient. She spent the extra time fixing one of the hair accesories into her hair. In one of the boxes that she had left alone she found a clutch and filled it with the contents of her wallet, her lipstick, a pocket gun just in case, and a few other assorted items including her phone and keys.

"Come on Stark." she grumbled while pacing in the small living room, then moved to the smaller bathroom by the kitchen. She touched up her lipstick when a soft rat-a-tap-tap fell on the door. In a sweet voice she called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Dr. Banner."

"Banner?" she whispered while putting her things back in her clutch and scampered over to the door. Propping it open she looked to see Banner standing in a suit.

"Agent Coulson?"

"Yeah? Why are you here?"

"Tony sent me."

"Well, we better get going. Im starving." She turned off the lights to the room and locked the door to her room, "Did Tony say where we are going?"

"No, but judging from your dress somewhere exclusive to the very rich."

"As long as he pays." Marian breathed, walking down the hallway to the elevator tapping the button. The doors slid open almost instantly. The ride was quick and quiet, the doors opened in the lobby to reveal Stark, dressed to the nines.

"Theres my baby." Tony stated.

"Don't call me baby."

"Feisty." he stated, "I got a reservation. Well actually I called the chef, and he said just to walk in and he would have our meals ready. I got you the bacalao as your first course, read that you were allergic to scallops."

"Why, such a gentleman." Marian smiled, "Now, how are we getting there? Wherever there is."

"I have a car." he gestured outside the front doors, beyond the glass rested a red sports car with no back seat mind you.

"Who is gonna sit in the middle?"

"Since you are the smallest I vote for you to sit in the middle."

"Or you could sit in the middle, Banner could sit in the passenger seat, and I could drive." He opened the door for her, and shook his head as she slid in. The classic car, with a the stick placed further up than it would be in a modern car, so she had legroom.

"Hey where are you guys goin-" Steve had obviously gone for a late jog and caught them just as they were leaving, "Marian?"

"Yeah," she looked her slender arm around Stark's arm as he slid in, she smiled charmingly, and he smiled back. The look of recognition in his eyes was back, and he was trying to find out where he had seen her before. "Tony's taking me and the good doctor out to eat. Is something wrong?"

"You look great. All of you. I hope you guys have a good night." He waved his hand then went inside, not before taking a triple look back at Marian. In his eyes it seemed that he was trying to remember something that had never happened.

"Let's go eat, if I don't get food I am not liable for any damage that I might do to random people's faces and or body."

"I concur, except instead of people I will tear the city apart again." Banner said.

"It would be a shame, they did a great job of cleaning up. I mean this street is cleaner than it has ever been, I'm pretty sure that you could eat off the sidewalk and not contract some unknown disease. Not at all like before, you didn't even want the bottom of your foot to touch this ground before." The car engine purred like a kitten suddenly and thrusted forward.

"That was sudden." Banner was still calm as a summer's morning, "But strangely expected."

The car glided easily through the streets Marian enjoyed the air that ran over her cheekbones and through the small wisps of hair that she had purposely let hang loose.

"So how have you been doing?" Banner asked her while at a stop light, obviously alluding to her father.

"Fine, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" he pressed.

"The truth is that I am fine, I know a lot of people are going to ask me that now that my father is dead. My father's line of work was bound to end in disaster, I have always been waiting for the day where I get a letter, or phone call, telling me that he is gone." Stark floored it when the light turned from red to green.

"That is a strange outlook to have!" Banner shouted over the wind.

"It might seem so, but it has been this way all of my life. Don't get me wrong, it's awful and I am sad about him going. But after all these years of expecting it; I've just accepted it." As she spoke those words she realized how awful it sounded, and she was truly extremely sad. But not for his death, but for the feeling of emptiness. She had lost something she had never had. And she grieved for herself, and for the father she had never had. Sighing in sadness before fading away into the wind around her. Tony slammed on the brakes in front of a restaurant, Marian ground her heels into the flooring, to stop herself from flying into the dashboard.

"We're here." Before Marian got out of the car she took a small mirror out of her clutch and fixed her hair and makeup. Banner left the door open for her for and took her hand when she offered it. The place didn't look as grand as she had expected, and only a few people seemed to be there.

"Is this where we are finally going to get to eat?" she asked as Tony slipped the valet a twenty.

"Yeah dollface, we will be eating on the second story, it's closer to the bar." She slipped arm around Tony's and followed him into the doors of the restaurant. The building seemed rustic to her and not at all special, but as soon as the reached the upstairs she understood what she got dressed up for. The room had a soft glow to it, a crystal chandelier loomed above them. Pristine white table cloths were draped over circular chairs, beautiful silver was laid out around china plates and lovely crystal glasses. She was soon pulled from the beauty of the place when she realized that many people were looking their way.

"Why are they looking at us?" she hissed into Banner's ear.

"Just hope they are looking at Tony, and that they don't recognize us."

"Mr. Stark." a waiter came up to them, "Chef has told me of your arrival, we have arranged a table right this way." he walked towards a table that was in the center of all the other tables. As they moved the attention from almost everyone in the restaurant was on them, Marian brushed it off. She thought that they were just focused on Tony, he was after all a man who was not only a millionaire that gave way to world peace, but a man who had just saved the city from becoming a nuclear wasteland.

"Miss." the waiter pulled out a chair for Marian, and when she thanked him he offered a sharp nod to acknowledge her. "Your first course will prepared soon. I hope that you have a pleasant meal, should you need anything please call for me."

With a few more sharp movements the man turned away. Not even a second later a glass of fine Brandy was laid in front of Tony.

"Pardon." a female waiter spoke, "Might I take your drink orders."

"Sparkling water, please." Banner ordered.

"I'll take a Boulevardier, please." Marian smiled and the waitress nodded then moved away with a pep in her step. "If we came here for privacy, I don't think that we are going to get it."

"It will be fine."

"In such a public place?" Marian played with one of her dangling earrings that framed her flapper-esque face.

"I couldn't think of a better place." he said accepting another drink as Marian's and Banner's drinks arrived.

"So what did you find out?" she sipped on her drink savoring the pungent taste, her silver eyes spied around the room looking for suspicious people.

"You don't have to look around for spies. Trust me, they couldn't afford this place." She then settled herself into her seat and allowed herself to breath.

"Are you going to tell me what is in the file or just sit there, like a fuck-bucket?"

"I love it when you talk dirty, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy." He sipped on his drink, "Besides I do love the suspense."

"I'm sure you do, but I would love to know what all this is about." Marian sipped on the drink that had been laid in front of her, "I need to know so I can plan my next move."

"You're not gonna try to kill who ever kept this from you are you?" Tony inquired.

"I cannot confirm or deny that." she laid her drink down with some force causing the ice to clink against the glass.

"That's the government's way of saying yes." Tony said somewhat excitedly as their food came an was placed before them.

"Thank-you." she smiled as she spilled a napkin over her legs then looked as the bacalao. The mixture of fish and avocado looked pleasing to the eye. With the brace she was still able to move some of her fingers and was able to hook the avocado and fish onto the metal bits of her fork. The melody of flavors was delightful on her tongue.

"Is it good?" Banner asked her as he was eating his oysters on the half-shell.

"Yes." she smiled then tilted her head, "But not as delicious as the information that you two are keeping from me for the sake of suspense."

"Its simple. They don't know what you are."

"They?"

"SHIELD. They don't know what you are." he took a gulp of his drink, "And neither do I, your genetic structure is unlike anything on this world. And even more intriguing there are two genetic codes in your DNA. Which means that your parents were not of the same species."

"Are you saying that I'm half human half alien."

"You're not even half human."

"You guys are pulling my leg aren't you?"

"No, in fact I think you should come and let me study you for a while. Half of your genetics are in a temporal flux, and the other half seems to anchor you down. An alien hybrid who lives on Earth, maybe I should ask Thor."

"No." she hissed, "This stays between us. And I'm not an alien."

"Facts show that you are." Banner said, eating his food looking up to her. "And I agree with Tony, you should be studied further."

"I'm sure that SHIELD has already been studying me. Must be why they made it so difficult for me to get away from them, and why my father steered me in the direction that he did." she pressed the napkin to her mouth then laid it on the table. Standing she then said, "Thank you for dinner Tony, but I'm not hungry anymore."

"How will you get back to the hotel?"

"I'll call a taxi. Or I'll walk."

"In those heels?" Stark asked, but she had already begun to walk away and ignored him. Neither of them bothered to follow her as she left the restaurant. Perhaps it was a mistake prying into this situation, she was a person who always had to know even when it was better for her to be ignorant of the information. Now her whole perspective of herself had been undermined. She wasn't even human, and now she felt so far removed from the earth she walked on.

Looking both ways she crossed the street, moving in the general direction of the hotel. Dragging her feet along, the golden embroidered dress clinging to the filthy concrete as she did so. Normally she would feel bad for ruining such expensive things, but now she didn't know what to care about at this moment. So she just walked, and walked, and walked till she found herself back at the hotel with bloody feet. And knowing what she had to do she kept walking on her bleeding feet to offer a drink to a person who seemed to have the answers she needed.


	22. Chapter 22

With a bottle of cheap gin stolen from the hotel's abandoned bar in her hand and her clutch in the other, Marian stood in front of the armoured truck. Two armed guards stood in front of it with large automatic weapons held to their chests. They looked her up and down, noticing the dress and how the ends of it were stained and torn from being dragged on the ground. And they saw her bloody feet, and sweat smeared makeup along with her disheveled hair.

"Let me pass." she commanded them, and neither of them asked any questions or tried to stop her. They simply opened the doors, letting her into the armoured truck. Loki was sitting on the ground, gagged and bound. When she climbed into the truck the doors were shut behind her, and she was left alone with Loki. The fallen god did not look up to her, but kept his eyes to the ground. Crouching down to his level she sat laid her things on the ground then reached up to his muzzle.

"I think it's time for that drink Tony offered you." she held the bottle up to his lips offering him a drink. The man looked up with pale green eyes, and pressed his lips to the bottle letting her tilt the bottle back so that the burning liquid trickled into his mouth. His face scrunched up at the taste as he swallowed the liquor. Then Marian raised the bottle to her own lips and swallowed the clear liquid. "What am I?"

"Why, would I tell you?"

"Because you told me you would."

"Before you betrayed me."

"I was never on your side, we never had an agreement or relationship. So how could I have betrayed you?" she asked, and he looked back to the ground. "What's done is done, you killed the only family I have ever had. You owe me."

"I owe you nothing, he was no family to you."

"Then do me a favor and I will do you a favor."

"You'll free me."

"No, not that. I'm sure you'll eventually talk yourself out of this, when you do I'll help you do something."

"No. If you want to know what you are, ask your mother."

"I don't have a mother." she said. This was true, the man who raised her never spoke about her mother. She thought this was just because he had to kill her or something along those lines, because she was an enemy spy. It was a rather dark though, but more truthful than the one she had in her head when she was younger. But the reason he never spoke of her mother was because he never had an answer to who she was. Thought the truth is that her mother was not human and neither was her father, so how was she supposed to find either of them.

"Youre as foolish as you were when I first met you. Thought I did not know I would be the one to guide you along at that time."

"What are you talking about."

"When you are older, and when I was younger, we meet. So I assume you'll be able to complete the simple task of finding your mother."

"Where is she?"

"That is for you to find out." his eyes glanced towards the bottle in her hand and she held it up to his lips once more. "I was going to help you find her, but given the position I am in that is now impossible."

"What can I do to find her?"

"Find what is yours."

"I don't understand."

"I don't care. Its obvious you'll find your own way. Now leave me alone." He bit at her, his eyes full of anger. Kneeling down she looked at his bruised face and sad eyes. This man who was so sure he was going to the be the god king of earth by now was defeated. And while he had killed her father she could not bring herself to hate him. The only thing she had for him was pity.

Giving him one last sip of gin she wiped his lips dry and held the muzzle up to his face. He leaned into willinging allowing her to fasten it back onto his head. Then she lowered herself once more so that they could look into one another's eyes. He seemed so small to her now, and it seemed strange to her that she had once been afraid of him.

"Goodbye Loki."


	23. Chapter 23

With the sun gone and the phone in her hand Marian carefully typed in the phone number that her father had given her. As the line rang she prepared herself to give bad news, something that she should be good at doing by now. She was once a spy who reported both good and bad things to superiors, but telling someone that a person they loved had died was different. Once she had to report that civilians had died, but she was not responsible for telling the individual families about the deaths. That was left for someone else, she was distanced from those deaths. But now she was so close, not only did it affect her, though she had to tell another person who cared about her father that he was gone.

"The number you have dialed," it sputtered off the number she had dialed in, "is not in service. Please check the number and dial again."

Looking again at the piece of paper and the number written there, she carefully redialed the number and called. But she got the same answer, that the number was not in service. Thought she was sure that her father would not have given her and incorrect number. A man like him aws too careful with everything that he did. So she tried a third time, carefully looking back and forth between the number on the paper and the number on her phone. When she pressed the send button she got the same answer. And immediately she knew that her father had a plan for her written within the false phone number.

Right now she did not have time for her father's games that he played with her to sharpen her wits. It was not the first time he would have sent her on missions that had little reason to them, other than to make her better. But perhaps it was not that she did not have time for his games, but that she refused to play them. She did not want to play this dead man's games.

So she laid her phone down and tossed the paper to the side. Going to look out the window over the city. The clean up of the city had gone well, and quickly. Soon the streets would be cleaned of the debris, in time there the buildings would be rebuilt and repaired. Thought the political mess would be a tad bit harder to manage. She didn't care about that either though, her former superiors would have to deal with that. Marian knew she was a civilian technically, not an agent and certainly not a person who had to deal with delicate politics.

Before she had attempted to call Audrey with an out of service number, she had looked at her r old SHIELD email. This was done to see if they needed anything of her, and instead received news that her father had been cremated as he had dictated in his will. Though he had never told her that he had wanted to be cremated but she did not know much about his final wishes. Whatever he had left to her in his will she did not want. SHIELD could have it all. They had taken everything from her since the beginning. What they had given her was lies, violence, a dead adopted father, and now a pre-planned funeral.

Loki had done more for her than them. A person that had killed the only family that she had was the only person that had not been lying to her. It was strange to think that one of the only people that she could trust was know as the god of all lies. Though she felt that she could trust Tony and Bruce. But those who had trained her she knew that she could not trust them, they would not help her find out the truth about herself. She knew she had to find her mother like Loki had said, and so she would. Firstly she had to mourn for her dearly beloved father, who lied to her till the very end.

Though perhaps Loki did lie to her, he said that he had met her before. And she was certain that was a lie because she would have surely remembered meeting him. He did speak in riddles though and she did not have time to solve strangely worded things that made no sense. All she would do now was find the mother she never knew.

She wondered if maybe she should also be looking for her father, her real father. Perhaps he had answers for her as well, though she didn't know the first place to start with the search. But she was clever enough, first she would start with those who found her. They could tell her where they found her, and if that didn't get her much then she would move to the the scientists who studied her. They would know the most about her. She would have to ask Stark for the names of those who were associated with her. And if he would not give the names to her, she would take them from him. After all desperate times called for desperate measures. Even if those desperate measures included stealing and lying to a friend. She would get the answers that she deserved from SHIELD, the truths that they had kept from her until now.

Looking down at her father's final note to her she picked it up, looking at the number. It seemed to be a regular number to her but her father was a clever man. So she looked more closely and realized there was an imperfection in the paper when she held it up to the light. Going to her purse she found her lighter and held it under the paper.

"Really dad?" she breathed subconsciously looking up towards a fictional afterlife. He had used invisible ink, the ridiculousness of it made her hoof at her dead father. Why even in death he insisted on these games she didn't know. When the heat revealed the ink, she looked to read the brown colored letters. It was a set of coordinates that looked vaguely familiar to her, though she didn't know if it was from a previous mission that she had taken part of. She knew that she would deal with this later on, after she tracked down the lower ranking people who knew about her identity. Afterwards, maybe she would have the time to bother with her father's game. She would play his game one last time in honor of him.


	24. Chapter 24

There were multiple funerals taking place that day, the funeral homes must had been making a killing. That was what Marain thought as her father's urn was lowered into the plaque on the ground. Since there were so many funerals going on and since Coulson didn't have any other family besides Marian there was only a short service held out in a graveyard. Looking across from her there stood Audrey, who seemed more focused on her grief than the heat.

It was burning hot outside an wearing black did only added to the heat. She had such a hard time listening to the priest because she was so focused on the heat that was dripping down her scalp. Luckily she didn't have to wear her brace anymore as he hand didn't hurt any more, that took away the heat from at least one part of her body.

"And now for a few words from the dearly departed's daughter, Marian." the alliterative words that came before her name brought her out of her heat induced trance. She knew that it would be expected of her to say a few words on her father's behalf. When it came time to step forward and say those words, she felt herself shake. But still she walked forward on wobbly legs, and with quivering lips she spoke,

"My father, Phil Coulson, was a good man. Admittedly he was not the most perfect father, but then again what parent is the perfect parent. He did his best with me, I was lucky to have him as a dad and I am very grateful that I got to have him as a father." she looked down at her hands that held a rose, took a breath, trying to control the tears that were on the verge of falling out of her eyes. Raising her head she looked to Steve, and upturned the corner of her lips, "He taught me what his hero taught him, always stand up. He died that way, standing up for what was right, and he lived the same way. And hopefully I will be able to live my life that way as well."

Looking down to her hands again she twirled the rose around in her hand, letting the thorns prick her fingers. Then she walked over to the small plaque on the ground, knelt down and laid the rose on top of where her father's ashes were incase. For a moment she thought of how he was not her real father, but how he had loved her anyhow. Of course he had not always been there, but he did love her she knew that he did. Pressing her hand to the stone slap in the ground she shut her eyes tightly and whispered her thanks to him. Without her asking Steve came over to her and gave offered his hand, she took it and he helped her up. Then as they were walking away he tucked that hand into the crook of his elbow. With the priest murmuring a few final words the handful of people that could come began to walk away from the burial sight. When Steve went to move away Marian stayed in place, looking at Audrey who was standing over the grave.

"Marian?" he questioned, pulling her out of her internal debate if she should go over and talk to the woman. But soon she decided better of if, they were strangers and would have little to say to each other. So she looked up to Steve, a few tears had fallen already out of her eyes and dried. Then together they followed the group known as the Avengers down to the cars that they had taken together. Marian found it hard not to wince as she walked, her feet were still cut and blistered from the night before.

Looking over she saw Thor dressed in a suit and tie, in her opinion he looked good but odd out of his Asgardian armour. But it was kind of him to dress accordingly for the funeral of her father. Sitting down in the back seat after Steve had opened the door for her she slid over making room for him. And instead of joining the conversation that took place in the car, from the beginning of it they were trying to decide what they wanted for lunch, Marian looked out the window to Audrey. She was still tempted to go to the dark haired woman but that thought was thrown out the window as the car pulled away. Still she continued to look out the window at the passing trees, then as they got to the city she looked at the buildings and the people on the sidewalk.

What she should be thinking about was how she was going to get at the people who studied her, and how she was going to find her biological mother. Though she could only think of her father, and what life was going to be without him. And the sad part was, she knew it would be much the same just without the occasional visit. Even though life would still be much the same, she would still miss him. He was her dad, and he was always there when he truly needed him. He had lied to her, but he had always taken care of her. And she believed that he truly loved her.

When the car came to a stop in front of a random restaurant she got out of the car. Still very much in a daze she followed Tony into the restaurant and sat at the same table as everyone else. Ordering a coffee and a water she sat in silence, only hearing the background conversation of those at the table. This perhaps was the most removed from the world that she had ever been. Eventually she struggled her way back to the world and regained her awareness of the world around her. Then she listened to her new friends conversations and sipping on her coffee.

"So Marian," Tony started, "what do you think of the name chosen for you?"

"What?" she said in a soft confused voice. Only to get a smile out of Tony as he quickly opened up his personalized phone, and typed away quickly sending her articles on the Avengers. When she picked up her phone and began to look through the messages she felt a small rage fill her. Looking up to Tony, knowing she was behind this and saying with disgust, "Mercury Maiden?"

"Yeah, I think it's a good name."

"You did this." she shook her finger at him,

"I cannot confirm or deny that." he sipped on his own drink allowing the black clad woman to widen her eyes and scoff at him. Knowing that there was nothing she could do about it now, the pubic now knew her as the Mercury Maiden. No matter how bad she thought that name was.

"I'm gonna get you back for this." she declared.

"I think it is a good name." Thor announced from the left side of her as his mouth was half full of a breakfast burrito. "I feel it suits you, the Maiden of Mercury."

"It sounds so good coming out of your mouth." Marian looked up at Thor then thought out loud, "It must be the accent."

She rolled her eyes off to the side, starting to feel the sadness of the day roll off of her shoulders. So there she sat with her friends, laughing at the little things and eating good food, drinking decent coffee. Though she knew it would not be a permanent thing for her, soon she would be on the road again. Another adventure at least.


	25. Chapter 25

It had been six days since the Battle of New York and four days since Phil's funeral when the Avengers assembled one last time and gathered in central park. It was a bright day, and the streets had been sweeped, the rubble cleared. Thor was going to take his step-brother Loki back to Asgard to face justice.

In the following days Marian had begun to feel better about her situation, and had begun to feel as if she knew herself all the more. When she slid into Tony's car she turned up the radio and began to enjoy the modern pop song, even dancing from the waist up as she sat down. This was before Tony ordered his car to begin playing AC/DC. Even then she continued to bob her head along to the drums in the music. The car that Tony had chosen for today was less shiny, but all the more fast.

It only had two seats in the front so she had to prop herself on the back end of the car with her legs in the front. As he drove her hair whipped wildly, the freshly straightened strands gave her a new look and she hopped that it would help set her apart from her new identity as the Mercury Maiden.

"You good?" Stark asked at a light that had just turned green, and Marian slid on her rose tinted glasses over her nose.

"I'm guchi, just go." His foot slammed onto the gas, and the red sports car jumped into action. Marian opened her hands to the wind feeling freedom, Stark started playing Fortunate Son on the car stereo.

'Some folks are born, made to wave the flag

Ooh, they're red, white and blue

And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"

Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no

Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand...'

As Steve drove by on a motorcycle he caught wind of the lyrics and his face warped a bit before he sped up ahead of the car. To get closer to the armored truck that held Loki, who was being guarded by his step brother while SHIELD agents drove the truck. Behind them Clint and Natasha were moving along in a black car, Marian turned her head a bit and caught sight of Clint. He had once been her mentor, along with Natasha, so they definitely knew about the secrets kept from her. But they were people that she could not get answers out of no matter how she begged. She let her gaze linger for a moment before snapping her sight back to what was in front of her. Their path was not long, and they were soon at their destination.

Thor was the first one out of the trunk and marched straight around to the back to open the double doors to retrieve Loki. Before Thor could take Loki from the truck, he was joined by the rest of the Avengers who angrily looked upon Loki as he exited the truck. His mouth was muzzled, and his hands were in loose chains. Clint slammed the truck doors shut, then hit its left side and the truck then sped away.

Tony handed Thor a strange capsule with the Tesseract inside, on either side of the capsule there were handles. Thor walked Loki over to a circular area with the whole lot of them following. Thor left for a moment to say goodbye to his new friends. Marian was the last one he said goodbye to.

"Daughter of Phil, Maiden of Mercury" he grasped her arm, "I am so sorry for all the pain that has been caused to you, your father was a great man. And you are an honorable woman, I hope to see you again in the future. Farewell."

"Perhaps one day I'll visit you."

"Perhaps, human visitations on Asgard have not happened in my lifetime."

"But how old are you?" she asked before she had time to flinch at the word human, which now she knew was a more than inaccurate description of her.

"Over a thousand earth years."

"I hope that I look as good as you when I am that old." Marian said wide eyed.

He affectionately tapped her on the shoulder tipping her a bit, he walked back to Loki and stood in the center with Loki, who was giving them all the evil eye. Yet when he turned to Marian his eyes fill not with fury, but with pity. And Marian knew what pity looked like, and she had not expected pity from such a person. Maybe he pitied her because he related to her, and she understood this as well. She pitied him too, knowing that they were parallels headed in opposite directions. Then his eyes changed for a moment before he looked away from her, and he held a knowing smile in them. Thor held out the opposite handle of the tesseract containing capsule, prompting Loki to take the opposite side. As his hand firmly grasped the side he looked down in shame, Thor gave a sharp nod to his friends then twisted the side of the handle. Blue energy flared around the two extraterrestrials, taking them away to their home.

"It's all over now. Isn't it?" Marian's mouth moved without thought.

"Yes. And thank-god for that." Steve stood on her right and moved so that his left hand was on her left shoulder. "So what are you going to do."

"I've been thinking about going on a journey of self discovery." she made it sound like a joke but was obviously speaking the truth. When Steve didn't understand what she had said she asked, "What about you."

"I'm gonna catch up on my history."

"That sounds like an interesting thing." she looked up to him and opened her arms to him. When he leaned down to give her a friendly hug she thanked him for his support when her father died, then kissed him on the cheek. When they let go of each other they smiled, "Take care of yourself Steve."

"You too, Mercury Maiden." Her eyes widened and then practically rolled themselves out of her head as he joked about the identity that the public, or more specifically Tony, had given to her.

"Bye Steve." she waved, then turned her head and began to say goodbye to the rest of the Avengers. Looking to the "Natasha."

"Marian. So where are you off to?"

"Gonna pal around with Stark and Banner, then back to my house. I got a few walls to knock down, and a few more to paint."

"You got that obsessive need to remodel homes from Clint didn't you."

"That man made me spend my summers helping him remodel his house, it's about time I get to make my own house the way I want it." Marian reasoned, reminiscing on her fourteen year old self and how she had learned how to work on pipes and how to build walls. Looking up to Natasha she asked, "What about you?"

"Clint and I are going to the closest SHIELD base outside of the city." she looked her up and down. "Are you going to be okay."

"Yeah, of course." Marian shook her head at one of her former mentors. "I know you're worried, you and Clint. But I'm fine, I've been expecting this for a very long time."

"Take care of yourself Marian."

"I will."

"Clint, it's time to go." Natasha called as she opened the driver's seat then brought the car to life, effectively ending their conversation. Clint rushed to the passenger door and watched Marian practically dance away to Tony's car, he was going to be worried about her. She knew that because both he and Natasha cared about her due to the fact that they helped turn her into what she was today. On her way she waved to Steve and smiled, after which she returned to her original seat. Tony and Bruce did not bother with opening the car doors, they both just simply jumped over the closed door.

"Is it legal for me to sit like this?"

"Do you really think that the police are going to stop you, Banner, or me and complain how a master ninja woman is sitting in a car."

"When you put it like that." her shoulders moved a bit, "No. Not really."

"There is your answer. The way you are sitting is not illegal." He started the car making it jump into action.

"Where are we going?" Bruce asked.

"Back to the hotel for you two. Then I am going to go to my tower, begin fixing her up."

"Pepper is there, isn't she?" Marian asked.

"Yes she is." Tony grinned as he spun around the corner to the hotel. "You two should stop by in about an hour." he nodded, "Three hours. Four." he then reasoned after thinking over what him and Pepper were going to be doing.

"I should get to packing." Marian breathed and the car began to take off. On the ride she had begun to mentally pack, though she knew she was only going to throw everything into her large black duffel bag. After that all she would need was the names of the scientists who studied her, then she would be off to cause general mayhem for SHIELD. And this was something she was ready for, the past year hidden away in the back country had bored her and she was ready for the excitement again.


	26. Chapter 26

When all the chaos was over Marian had spent months with Tony and Bruce. Allowing them to poke and prod at her for the sake of their research, all the while she was hoping to convince Tony to give her the names of the scientists who had information on her past. Though he was hesitant because he believed that she would do anything to get the answers she wanted. This was true, she did have a certain set of skills that would allow her to extract the information she needed. And she would not have any issue with using these methods on any person who had information on her.

So she let them do their experiments all the while staying in New York watching Stark repair the newly renamed Avengers Tower. And with a newer, shorter hairstyle Marian found that she could walk around the interesting parts of the city without drawing much attention. Sometimes she would catch people staring at her trying to see if it was really the Mercury Maiden, one of Earth's Mightiest Heros. Which in her opinion was a strange thing to hail her as a hero, she was just doing what she could, and in her mind she lived on Earth why would she want to have it invaded? Defending the Earth from Loki was largely out of selfishness she concluded.

All in all living with Tony wasn't too bad despite almost everything about him. Though the tests soon became tedious, the two men who were examining her were so fascinated by her DNA that they tried to get her to go back to the west coast with them. But she knew that the west coast really wasn't her scene, and gave them a few more samples of her blood, hair saliva to let the have fun with her hybrid alien DNA. Then they left her there in the Stark tower with a set of keys and a reminder to lock the place up when she left.

As soon as she was gone she tried to hack his system, but she was not computer technician and was soon stopped by the seemingly sentient computer system Jarvis. It seemed as if she had come to a dead end as soon as she had started. But sitting around the city was beginning to get tedious. It was midsummer since she had come to the city and now it was almost thanksgiving.

She had found herself growing rather attached to a cafe in Queens, and found herself there more than once a week. When she sat in her window seat she could see the children who were on break for the American holiday running around. Everyone in the city had mourned their losses, including the children, who were once again quick to feel joy. Though as she watched the children running about she felt rather jealous of them.

The majority of them would not know violence, they would have spectacularly normal lives. And she was envious of that normalcy that she would never have. A normalcy that she had not had since she was five years old, while others went to school she was in a program to teach her how to fight. She learned multiple languages, how to lie and there was little focus on mathematics and literature. When she was eighteen she was given the option of going to school and she took it. Somehow she was able to remain on the Dean's list for two years before dropping out. Though she was tempted to go back and finish her degree in anthropology, but she knew that that degree was of little use to her.

Marian's thoughts were taken from her when she her the shouts of young boys a little ways outside the cafe. A large boy had taken a smaller, younger boy by the collar and had already hit him. She felt her large lips press into a thin line at the action of the older boy and she stood up, her chair dragged across the ground as she did so and she marched out of the door. No other adults were doing anything so she decided that she would.

The bell of the cafe door ran as she violently pushed it open, the small boy was now on the ground attempting to pick up his things with the older boy kicking the books out of his hands, and out of his reach. Her voice came out of her throat without her consent,

"Hey!" she pushed the bully's chest with two fingers, and his eyes were filled with the fear that had once belonged to the young boy, "You back off or I'll kick your ass so hard you'll wish you died as an infant."

"I-" the boy stuttered before turning and running. After the boy had run away she thought that perhaps she had gone too far, but she didn't care. That boy himself had gone too far and needed to be put in his place. Turning her attention to the boy on the ground she knelt down helping him collect his books,

"You okay kid?" she asked holding his glasses up to him.

"Yeah, thank you Miss…"

"Coulson." she stated looking at the boy, the side of his face was slightly bruised and his lip split. As the kid slid his books into his bag she helped him to his feet, as he looked up to her his eyes sparked though he didn't say what he was thinking. "Come on kid, let's get you cleaned up."

He followed her into the diner and she bought him a can of soda, and a slice of pie. For a while he held the can of soda to the side of his face along his jaw.

"How old are you?"

"I'm elven."

"This happen to you often?"

"Yeah, they don't really like me." the kid winced.

"Well I saw you get at least a few hits in, if they are going to hit you at least get your hits in." she reasoned, then gave him some advice, "Just a tip, learn with which hand they swing, dodge that then hit them in their throat."

"You seem like you get hit a lot." the kid hinted at the identity that had been forced upon her. Her large eyes squinted at what the boy knew but was dancing around the fact of who she was. So she smiled at him.

"I guess we have that in common. That's some heavy reading you have there." she looked at the thick books that focused on astronomy and mathematics. "Are you a young genius?"

"That's what my uncle says, I just like reading and learning. My hero is Tony Stark." he mentioned looking up to her again trying to get her to admit that she was the Mercury Maiden. But she was too skilled in dancing around the subject to allow the young boy to trick into confirming her identity.

"Well we all have our heros." she grinned taking a bit of her pie and a sip of her coffee. "I hope you'll get to meet him one day, he is a good man."

"How would you know?"

"He saves people doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I guess." the boy opened the can of soda and sipped on it, finally gathering his courage and said, "You're the Mercury Maiden, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately." she breathed, "I had no say in the name."

"You're-" he smiled, causing the cut on his lip to bleed a small amount.

"Yeah."

"You're awesome." he said amusedly, "I can't believe an Avenger- this is amazing. Can I have a picture, my Aunt May will never believe me unless I have a picture."

"Okay." Marian smiled and laughed shaking her head, waving him over to her side of the table. It was strange to have someone want her picture, but here she was being called a hero and getting a picture taken with a boy who thought of her as a hero. The boy sat close next to her, and she leaned into the frame of the camera phone and smiled. As soon as he snapped the photo he turned and smiled at her.

"Thanks Miss Coulson, it was awesome to meet you but I gotta go, it's almost six. Also is that your real name?"

"My real name is Marian." she shook her head as she grinned at the boy. Who was shuffling to get his things together, "What about your name, I never got it."

"Peter." he said heading out the door waving to her, "Peter Parker."

"You stay out of trouble Mr. Parker." she instructed with a smile and a wave, he responded in kind. The boy had begun to practically run when he got outside waving to her as he passed by the window, and she waved back. She was glad she had met Peter and hoped that he followed her advice by staying out of trouble, and punching his bullies in the throat. It probably was not the best advice to give to a kid, in school they didn't like kids to hit back but it was stupid to expect someone to take that abuse. Clint had taught her whenever someone hit her to get back up and hit them harder than they had hit her.

When she paid her bill she left the cafe and went back to the Avenger's Tower. When she got to the top floor she decided that this was going to be it for standing still, Stark would not give her the names of the scientists but her father had a mission for her. So she would follow through on what he wanted her to do. Besides it was better than playing house sitter for Stark, and it was better than standing still.


	27. Chapter 27

Marian was rather surprised when she arrived at the area where her father's coordinates instructed her to go. It had turned out to not be an official mission that resulted in some small bit of information that would benefit SHIELD. Instead it took her back to a small town where she had been kept by her father till she was moved to a SHIELD facility to begin her training at the age of five. It wasn't until she wandered up to the old, neglected building hidden away from the road by a thin layer of trees that she realized how much she had missed it.

Tapping the old swing with her hands she smiled, remembering how her dad had pushed her as high as he could on the days that he was there. Sitting down on the swing she measured the strength of the old ropes and found them surprisingly still intact. Pushing off with one of her feet she began to swing as high as she could, enjoying the reach to the highest point and then the sudden pull back to the ground. It was a very childish thing to do, but Marian did not care. It felt good to act like a child and forget all her worries as if she was a child without any worries to begin with. And soon she felt herself begin to giggle, with bubbly laughter falling from her lips. Soon she slowed back to the ground and twisted the ropes together, then letting herself spin around. But soon her laughter faded and she looked towards the run down blue house.

Pushing the door she found that it had been barred from the other side, and with the windows on the first floor she had to climb up to the second. So standing on the banner on the porch she grabbed ahold of the roof and pulled herself up. When walking across the roof she found all the windows she could reach were locked. But they were not boarded up with wood, so she put her heeled foot through the glass. As soon as the glass was out of her way she slipped into the raggedy home. Finding the idea of falling through a floor less than appealing, Marian watched where she placed her feet.

Knowing that her father had left something here for her to find she inspected each room carefully. Though nothing seemed out of place she knew there had to be something that was there in the worn down house. As she sat on the stairs she looked out into the living room thinking about how it used to be. When she was younger, and living in that house, there was never a single missed holiday or birthday. Her adoptive father was always there till she began her training that was. Afterwards he missed almost everything that seemed important at the time, though when she looked back he was there when she truly needed him to be there. After the bliss of a short childhood he only ever waited in the shadows for when she really needed him to be there. Like when she had made her first kill at the age of sixteen he crept out of his shadow and held her hand and gave her the first sip of whiskey she ever had.

"Come one dad," she breathed, "where did you put it?"

Looking around the large living room for clues she lowered her head to the ground, thinking that maybe he had hid something under the floorboards. So she walked over them looking for a hollow spot in the floor. If he had hid something here it would be well hidden to protect it from any potential thieves that came along. As she looked up from the floor she saw a white vent in the wall that seemed cleaner than everything else around it, and then she knew that was where her father had hid something just for her to find.

With a half smile on her face she knelt down and took the grate of the vent off. This revealed a small passageway, and after a small hope that there weren't too many vermine she entered it on her hands and knees. As she was crawling through the space using the light on her phone as a flashlight she began to think that her father was insane and how he got into the small crawlway. Soon it came to a dead end and there sat a lock box with a dial lock in the center.

"Really dad?" Marian huffed thinking there had been a simpler way of giving this information to her. As soon as she got the safe she looked again at the piece of paper that her father had given to, and she knew the phone number could be divided into a number that would open the safe. So she divided the ten digit number into the code that would open the lock and began to turn the dial. It soon clicked open allowing her to see another box the was held closed by a latch. Taking the box she began to crawl her way out of the small space as she was beginning to feel too closed in. Creeping her way upstairs and out the window she made her way back to her swing and sat down. Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

As she opened the box she was greeted by a brown leather journal, and a small velvet jewelry box. Taking both of the items out of the metal box she tossed it onto the ground. Opening the journal she could see that only the first pages had been marred by her father's handwriting. Before she started to read the pages she took a deep calming breath then read her father's words:

Marian, I have decided that it is time that you know the truth about what you are, thought I'm not really certain what you are. But what you are is not human, and with you mission in India that was made even more clear to me. When you were ambushed during your mission, you released a great source of energy that caused all of the targets to die. But what they died from was advanced age without explanation.

I would tell you about your genetic structure but I'm not really a scientist. You are a very dangerous person, we do not know the level of damage that you are able to inflict. I refuse to have you locked away because I don't believe you are actually a threat to humanity. When we found you in England you had the amulet in the jewelry box. From what SHIELD's scientists can tell there is nothing special about it, so I was able to take it. It belongs to you. You should have it.

I am sorry that I hid this from you, I was under orders but I should have done better by you. After all, you are my daughter. You might not be related to me, and you may not even be human. But I love you. And I hope that you are not too angry with me for everything that I have done, in truth you deserved a better father than I was to you. I'm sorry.

~ Love Phil Coulson, aka Dad

The fast paced wind had begun to shake the branches of the trees, and tug at the strands of her hair. Taking the small jewelry box in her hand she peeled the top back revealing the dark stoned amulet to her. When she looked closely she could swear she saw something move inside the dark stone. Stretching her fingers outwards she took it in her hand and the world around her flashed and flicked. Soon she was surrounded by brightness and from that brightness she saw a woman that she knew from somewhere. And with outstretched hands the woman spoke to Marian these words,

"Marian, my daughter."


End file.
